Escaping Anarchy
by El Chacal
Summary: The year is 2024. Tara lived and took the boys far from Charming. Jax just got released from prison after 10 years inside. Pairings (some are romantic, others are not): Angelica/Abel, Angelina/Thomas, Chibs/Althea, Jax/Tara. The story is better than the summary. Enjoy! R&R.
1. Chapter 1

Escaping Anarchy chapter 1

Summary: AU from the end of Season 6. Tara left Charming with Abel & Thomas. 10 years later, Jax is released from federal prison. Abel & Thomas make some new friends along the way.

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><p><strong>2024<strong>

**Chicago, Illinois**

A 16 year old Abel and a 14 year old Thomas walked down the sidewalk on their way home from school. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and things seemed to be normal. That was when they were suddenly treated to ice cream by two of the most beautiful women they had ever seen. What made it all the more memorable was that they both got a kiss from each of them.

The older one with the slim upper back and very muscular physique had coffee ice cream with caramel. Abel would always remember her.

The younger one, who had a wider back but equally muscular physique, had vanilla ice cream with hot fudge. Thomas would remember her the rest of his life.

"They were checking us out." Abel said.

"Maybe they just wanted ice cream and were being nice." Thomas said.

"If it was just being nice, they wouldn't have been pressing up on us when they kissed us on the foreheads." Abel said, remembering as well how both women had boobs bigger than any he had seen on the models featured in the magazines he hid from their mother.

"Do you think we'll ever see them again?" Thomas asked as they approached the house. Abel took his keys out from his pocket and opened the door. "If we do, we'll find out soon enough."

Opening the door, Abel and Thomas walked in. "Mom! We're home!"

"In the kitchen." They heard their mother's voice coming from the kitchen. Following it, they saw her and another woman staring at each other like it was the OK Coral.

The mysterious woman had a striking resemblance to the two girls that they saw just moments ago except she had a very womanly figure with a more slender physique. She was the same height as their mother (5ft 6in) and her hair was jet black just like their mother's. Only while Tara Knowles-Teller had fair skin and short hair, this woman had fair to lightly tanned skin with long hair.

"Hello, boys. I was just talking with your mother about a nice get together at my friend Eve Rohan's house in the city. Good food and some good laughs could be had there. So I thought I'd invite the three of you. Dinner starts at 7 tomorrow night. Make sure not to eat any sweets beforehand. You don't want to spoil your appetite."

Kissing each of them on the forehead, she walked out of the house, closing the door behind her as she left.

Upon first meeting her, Tara Knowles did not care much for the busty Italian woman who introduced herself as Angela Cortez. The basket of fresh baked biscuits, apple fritters and biscotti along with the loaf of Italian bread with chopped olives and rosemary leaves helped to break the ice. After a while, they became amiable enough to at least tolerate one another.

What Angela did not let on was the same thing Tara stayed away from.

The fact that both women were Old Ladies to Sons.

Yet somehow there was the feeling between the two of them that the white elephant in the room was going to make itself known sooner or later and it was not going to be pretty.

* * *

><p><strong>Charming, California<strong>

He spent ten years inside a prison cell in his wife's place and to try and wash away the transgressions of the club. Somehow, in that time, DA Patterson thought he behaved enough to leave ahead of schedule.

A part of him wondered if he would ever sit at the head of the table again. Another part of him dreaded holding the gavel. Yet there he sat, gavel in hand, at the head of the table, staring into the faces of the men he called his brothers. SAMCRO had gathered together with members of the Nomad charter.

Happy kept a watchful eye on Hank 'Swamp Man' McCoy, a Nomad Son who matched him in brutality and violence.

Chibs kept a weary eye on Vincent 'Iron Man' Valentine, the Nomad Secretary and right hand man to the Son who Jax was staring down.

Samuel Harrison Voorhees a.k.a. Sharky.

The former USMC Force Recon Captain, former SAMTAF Sergeant at Arms, Club Chaplain and current Nomad VP walked to Jax and placed a manila folder in front of the National President. "Tommy has a friend who develops pictures and knows the value of a closed mouth."

Jax looked at the pictures, his eyes growing hot with fury.

"Your mother would never let any of you go. Your Old Lady did that just to get away from Charming."

"Where is my mother?"

"Only Psycho knows where the bodies are buried. He never talks about them." Sharky said objectively.

"Sharky's right, Jax. If Danny buries 'em, they are gone. Your Mom; she is no exception. The only thing he said to me about her was that he did not take the knife or the torch to her." Happy said despondently.

"Who reached out to that psychopath?"

Chibs raised a hand. Sharky looked from the SAMCRO VP to Jax and said, "Chibs spoke to me about it and I sent Psycho over to help make the body disappear."

Though he was more than angry, Jax managed to ask, "Can you at least tell me where Tara and my sons are?"

"They're in Chicago." Iron Man said. "We helped keep them above ground while keeping our distance from them. She doesn't seem to like us."

"Was I a moron to think they would have stayed?" Jax asked almost rhetorically.

"You did what you thought was right and she did the same. Or at the least, the both of you told yourselves that when you did what you did." Swamp Man said grimly. "You could reach out to her but I doubt she is going to pay any attention to what you have to say."

"I am going to see my sons and Tara again." It was not a request and every Son save for one knew that it was not going to end well. Standing up from his chair, Jax stared right at Sharky, who was not moved at all by his attempt at a death glare. "Tell Psycho to dig up my mother and bring her remains to me so I can bury her properly."

Sharky walked outside to the Rec Room, took his cell phone off the pool table and dialed a number. As he did this, Jax turned to Chibs in anger. "Tell me why I should not take your cut and your head."

"You and her would both be rotting in prison cells while your boys would have to grow up without either of you. Abel and Thomas deserve better than living like orphans."

Jax stormed out and left the clubhouse without acknowledging anyone.

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><p><strong>Chicago, Illinois<strong>

"Is this the place?" Angelica asked, taking her helmet off and releasing her long, dark black hair from it's confines. The dark black hair was clearly inherited from their Hispanic New Yorker father.

"Yes, it is." Angelina said, taking her helmet off, releasing her long, dark brown hair, which was more distinct of their Italian Chicagoan mother.

The Cortez sisters were unlike most other girls they knew. It could be attributed to their spirit and personalities but it had more to do with how they both stood at heights of 6 feet and how strong their bodies were. Angelica and Angelina had very muscular physiques while retaining their female figures, especially since their breasts were so big that they stood out from the muscle mass.

Angelica's upper back was slim but by no means lanky. She had enough muscle mass to give herself a good shape. Angelina's upper back was more wider. While Angelica's shoulders were slender, Angelina's shoulders were broad.

"Do you think they are here?" Angelina asked as they stood a few feet away from the door.

"If they are, we'll find out soon enough." Angelica said as she knocked on the door.

The door opened and that was when they met Tara Knowles-Teller for the first time.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"You're Tara, right?" Angelica asked.

"Yes, I am. Who are you?" Tara asked.

"I'm Angelica. This is my sister, Angelina." Angelica said as she made the introductions. "Eve sent us here to take you and your boys up to her house for supper."

"Speaking of that, we ought to get a move on because dinner is going to be set in the next 20 minutes and it takes a while to get to Chicago." Angelina said while looking at her wristwatch.

"Angelica!"

"Angelina!"

Tara looked over to where Abel and Thomas were waving at Angelica and Angelina with smiles on their faces. "Hi boys!" The Cortez sisters chimed together with a wave.

"How do you know my sons and how do they know you?" Tara asked as the Cortez sisters entered the house.

"We met them in front of an ice cream truck." Angelina said while Angelica picked up both Abel and Thomas effortlessly in a bear hug.

"Put them down." Tara said, noting how Angelica was showing off her physical strength while playing around with Abel and Thomas.

Angelica looked at her with a smile as she put Abel and Thomas back down on the floor. "Abel, Thomas, go get dressed and cleaned up. We're all going to a dinner party in Chicago."

Once they were gone, Angelica and Angelina approached Tara together. "You have cute kids." Angelina said.

"Why are you two really here? I don't buy this whole hospitality line." Tara asked, consciously trying to figure out what they wanted.

"Eve wanted us to relay a message to you. Something about your husband wanting to see you and the kids again." Angelica said.

"I'm not going back to Charming and neither are my boys."

"Why are we not going back to Charming, Mom?" Abel asked.

Angelica, Angelina and Tara turned to see Abel and Thomas standing in the doorway to the kitchen, ready to go but curious as to why they were not going to Charming. "Has Dad been wondering where we were for all these years?"

Tara could feel the eyes boring into her from both her children and the two women at her sides.

Angelica chose to intervene at that moment to at least postpone the inevitable conversation.

"We have to go. Eve is going to have a fit if we arrive late. Angelina, take the boys over to the car. Tara and I'll be right out with you in a minute."

Once they were out of the house, Tara looked at Angelica and said in an irate voice, "I am not going back to Jackson Teller, Charming or the club and neither of you can make me. I have lost everything to them."

"What you have against the MC, that's between you and them. For now, we have a dinner party to get to." That statement alone was enough to make Tara angry and suspicious about who these two women really were.

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><p><strong>Charming, California<strong>

Getting up from his chair, Jax grabbed another beer from the fridge and drank it. "Who delivered the message?"

"Coyote's daughters. They're in town with their Ma."

"The Cortez girls?" Jax said, trying to figure out if he had seen them before. "How old are they now?"

"The older one is 19 and the younger one is 17." Chibs answered.

"Do they know anything about what's going on between me and Tara?"

Chibs shook his head. "It's not like they're gossiping over what goes on here in , there was some talk that the Cortez girls were flirting with Abel and Thomas."

Jax almost let out a laugh at that. Both of Coyote's girls were older than Abel and Thomas and they probably liked California as much as their father, Coyote, did. Why would they be interested in his boys? The likelihood of the Cortez sisters trying to bind their family to the Tellers was very unlikely.

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><p>An: This is an alternative universe story where Tara and Jax are both alive but the Cortez sisters take up for a while with the Teller brothers. If this story entertains, leave a review.


	2. Chapter 2

Escaping Anarchy chapter 2

A/n: Angie Cortez, Eve Rohan, Angelica Cortez, Angelina Cortez, Emilio 'Coyote' Cortez and Angelo Cortez are my characters. Sharky, Snake Doctor, Tommy Moran, Psycho, Iron Man and Swamp Man are characters owned by TellatrixForever. He let me use them for the purposes of this story. No infringements or profits are being made here. In case I did not mention that earlier, I'm saying it now. Are we clear? Good.

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><p><strong>Charming, California<strong>

For as long as he could remember, Daniel Faust Givens a.k.a. Psycho never had to unearth a single body at the behest of any president. Not even Rane Quinn himself ever asked him to do such a thing.

Then Sharky reached out to him on behalf of National President Teller with orders straight from the National Pres himself to return the remains of his mother to him.

Psycho took the time and care to get Gemma's body to the funeral home at Charming.

Sharky, Iron Man, Jax and Chibs arrived and made a beeline for the morgue where the Nomad Sergeant at Arms waited for them with the body in question covered by a white sheet.

When they were finally face to face, Jax wanted to shoot Psycho in spite of how he and Happy were on the same level of violence and mayhem.

Psycho looked at Jax with a cold stare before pointing to the slab where Gemma's body was laid out, covered with a white sheet. "She took a carving fork right through the surgical scar on her chest. It was not quick and she felt every bit of it."

Jax stood over the body for a moment before pulling back the sheet.

His nostrils burned with the stench of fermaldehyde and other chemicals he could not recognize but the stench of Death had long since settled. It looked like not a day had passed on her yet those eyes, frozen in the same way they were when she died, looked up at nothing. The light in her eyes was gone.

"I kept her in storage. Had some friends who knew how to keep the body in tact so you could say your goodbyes face to face."

Jax could not look at Psycho, Chibs, Sharky or Iron Man. Chibs seemed to understand the unspoken message. "Take all the time you need, Jackie. We'll be outside."

When he was all alone with his mother, Jax leaned in and kissed her forehead before he wept.

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><p>Lieutenant Althea Jarry looked over two blackboards that outlined the deaths of her predecessor, Lieutenant Eli Roosevelt, and the Machiavellian Queen of Charming, Gemma Teller.<p>

She was much different from the late Lieutenant Roosevelt who did not bend in any way in standing against the MC. Along with that, she was well read up on former Charming Police Chief Wayne Unser's relationship with the Sons of Anarchy. They actually worked together to not only do business but as well to keep some semblance of peace in town while stonewalling progress in developments and commerce.

From her previous work in organized crime units, Althea learned right away how to make things work with criminal organizations while doing her job at the same time.

Roosevelt died from a fatal hemorrhage after being comatose for six days. The contusion on his head indicated the attacker struck hard with a blunt object. The shape of the bruise gave the indication that the victim was violently pistol whipped in the back of the head.

The second victim was slain with a sharp implement that pierced through the upper torso, impaling the heart, causing the victim to bleed out internally and externally.

When the time came to speak with Teller and the other club members, it was awkward at times, hostile in a few and grim for the most part. The one member she had not been able to question was Juan Carlos Ortiz a.k.a. Juice. No one seemed to know where he went.

The Scottish VP of SAMCRO caught her eye almost immediately. Perhaps it was the scars that drew her in. It could have been the fact that he was the No. 2 man in the club. Then again, perhaps it was more than infatuation or easy access to information.

Though they did not give her much to go on in regards to any of the killings or to the whereabouts of Juice, Althea reached out to and spent more time with Filip Telford a.k.a. Chibs than she would admit to DA Patterson.

Turning her gaze from the blackboards, Althea looked through the information on Ortiz. 'Where are you, Juice?' Althea thought to herself as she read the file silently, wondering if there was anything in it that would lead her to him.

If there was anyone who knew anything, it was this prodigal Son.

Years passed and Juan Carlos Ortiz was still nowhere to be found.

Along the way, Althea and Filip grew very fond of each other. It even got to where she was in love with him and he was in love with her.

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><p><strong>Chicago, Illinois<strong>

After dropping off the boys at school, Tara went to work at a free clinic in town, offering her a job as an unofficial 'medical consultant'. In truth, it was the one way that she could employ her skills as a medical practitioner without going to jail and make a decent living.

The doctors there kept her hours slim so as to not raise suspicion or unwanted attention. Once she finished her shift, Tara went home. When she arrived, Tara was surprised to see Angela Cortez pull up into the driveway right next to her.

"Hello, Tara." It could never be said that the busty Italian was unkind or without a giving spirit, especially with a fresh loaf of Vienna bread and assorted cold cuts. "I was wondering if you'd like to share lunch with me. I could use some good company."

The previous night, after supper was over and the children were cleaning up, Angela and Eve revealed to Tara that they were Old Ladies to members of the Sons Of Anarchy MC. It took a lot of assuring that they were not planning to hand her over to Jax Teller or the club.

With that bridge crossed, it was easier to establish the start of a friendship between them.

"Come in." Tara said.

While the token of friendship she brought was thoughtful, Tara still felt hostile around other women, especially those who were attractive and Angela Cortez was one of the more attractive women she had ever come across since leaving Charming. At least she did not act like a sweet butt. For that, Tara was more than thankful.

"Why did you think to come visit me, Angela?"

"Call me Angie, Tara. We're friends, aren't we?"

Tara paused for a moment before helping herself to some food. "I must be some sort of friend to you if you want to eat a meal with me one on one." Taking a deep breath, Tara asked, "How are you able to accept what your husband is? Have you ever thought about what the MC will do to your family?"

Angie knew what she was implying. "I never asked him to be less than what he is. As for what it has done for my family, it has not buried anyone from my side or Emilio's. He also has kept faithful to me. The girls at the SAMYORK clubhouse know who I am and respect my marriage to Emilio. Believe it or not, our son, Angelo, asked about Prospecting when he comes of age."

"How are you able to do what I can't? Why are you more respected in New York than I was in Charming? Why do you have everything that I risked everything I had for?"

Angela looked at Tara's right hand and the scar on it told more than what she let on.

"I married Emilio just after he patched in with SAMYORK. He was a Son and I still married him. We have had our obstacles but he and I were able to get over them together. We have three beautiful children. You've met two of them already. I kept my mind on being a good Old Lady and mother. I got a good job running a cab company as well as a few diners around Brooklyn with the club's help and I made friends with the other Old Ladies of the New York Crew."

The hard look on Tara's face spoke volumes but Angie did not flinch. "You probably put every other Old Lady at a distance from you."

"That's none of your business."

"You asked me how I could live with a husband who is a patched member of the Sons Of Anarchy. I'm giving you the answer. It's probably not the one you want to hear. So I'll tell you what I will do." Leaning towards Tara from across the table, Angie decided to take a chance.

"I'm going to make you an offer. You tell me why you are fighting the club and why you ran from California. If you can tell the truth to me and, most of all, to yourself, I'll tell you who I am and how I achieved everything you seem to covet."

Tara fixed a hard stare at Angie and said, "I'm not interested in your offer. Get out of my house."

Angie gave Tara a thin smile. "Then I'll thank you for your hospitality and leave you to mope and grind your teeth in the privacy of your house." Angie got up, gathered her belongings and walked to the door. Before she reached the door, Angie heard Tara say, "He cheated on me with other women. Even when we got married, it did not stop. He killed, dismembered and hurt a lot of people. I did not want Abel and Thomas to grow up thinking that is acceptable. I want them to have something better than that." The tone in her voice was both apologetic and angry.

Angie walked up to Tara and hugged her gently. Kissing Tara gently on the cheek, Angie gave a smile that made Tara's body warm up suddenly. "If you learn from me, things might change for the better. You'll see in time that even ugly wounds can heal." Angie put her hand over Tara's scarred one momentarily. The contact of her hand was soft and inviting.

As Angie walked out of the house, closing the door behind her, Tara chalked up her reactions to not having had sex for so long.

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><p>They thought he'd be dead in one year.<p>

Just before Jax turned himself in, a vote was held. Only there was no majority.

SAMCRO wanted to pass the Mayhem vote on Juice.

Rane Quinn suggested something different.

He wanted Juice to go Nomad for life. Along with forfeiture of his California privileges, it would serve as penance for his sins and if his path did cross with Mr. Mayhem, it would not blow back on the Redwood Original.

So for the first time, the condemned man was brought before the bar and given the choice to elect his own punishment.

Upon electing the perpetual exile into the Nomad charter, Juice cut off the Redwood Original patches along with the California bottom rocker. The papers were finalized and that was that.

The Nomad charter was scattered across the country. There was no chapel, clubhouse or meeting ground for them. A Nomad Son was truly in the wind with only himself to truly depend on and their enemies seemingly always around the bend.

They all thought Juice would be dead within a year.

Rather than turning up dead, Juice turned out to be effective when it came to dismantling drug labs and dealing mayhem to the drug pushers/cookers/suppliers. It was by taking their illegally gained money that he was able to find shelter, food and the various other necessities for survival on the outskirts. It also helped to pay his dues to Rane and the club.

It was a lonely way to live and the fact that he still drew breath into his lungs served as cold comfort for what he lost in California. Many drug labs went up in flames and his pockets were stuffed with the spoils of the siege.

One day, after having laid another lab to ruin and the dealers to rest, Juice was found and taken to a cabin out in the woods of Kentucky. Rane Quinn, Tommy Moran, Psycho, Sharky, Iron Man, Swamp Man and Snake Doctor surrounded him. For a moment, Juice thought he had run out of road. Rane took Juice's knife and cut the Men of Mayhem patch off Juice's cut. "A Son wears the patches he earns. You did not earn this one." Handing the severed patch to Sharky, Rane took from his cut pocket the one patch very few ever truly earned. "This patch is only worn by a handful of men whose hands are bloodier than most others. Today, you are counted among the filthy few who are called Unholy Ones." With that, in the presence of the Nomad Sons, Juice sewed on the Unholy Ones patch where the Men of Mayhem patch once was.

Years later, in the suburbs of Chicago, across the street from the high school Abel and Thomas Teller attended, Juan Carlos Ortiz a.k.a. Juice watched from afar. He had to see that what happened, what he helped cover up, was not for nothing.

He was surprised to see two very tall, beautiful, busty and brawny women pull up to the school on Harleys just as the kids were leaving for the day. Abel and Thomas approached them with ear to ear grins. Then he saw the faces of the girls.

They were Coyote's girls.

'Would I have been better if Coyote had sponsored me? Would he have spared me or killed me?'

Those were just a few of the questions that went though Juice's mind as he watched the Cortez girls take the Teller boys away on their Harleys.

Since he never shaved his head for 10 years, no one recognized him. That was one of the reasons he wasn't pushing up daisies or face down in a ditch out in the middle of nowhere.

Riding away from the school, Juice rode back to the motel he was staying at on the outskirts of town.

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><p>An: Juice is in the Nomad charter for life, Tara might be getting a mild attraction to Angie Cortez, Jax is in mourning, Chibs & Althea are a couple. Oh and the Teller Brothers have the hots for the Cortez Sisters. Hope this was worth the wait.


	3. Chapter 3

A/n: Sharky, Psycho and Jonas Lennox are property of TellatrixForever. Larson is just a filler character for the time being I made up on the fly. Angelica, Angelina, Angelo, Angela and Coyote are all my characters as well as the characters for SAMYORK & SAMCAGO. No profits or infringements are being made. Are we clear? Good. Enjoy the latest installment of ESCAPING ANARCHY.

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><p><strong>Charming, California<strong>

Standing at the head of the cadaver with the other Sons lined up at right and left, Sharky read a Psalm from the Bible he kept in his inner cut pocket so as to give some sort of closure for the dead and a measure of comfort to the living. Though it did not look like Jax gave two chugs and a swig about Bible verses. Especially when Psycho was staring at them with an empty urn next to him.

SAMCRO slid her remains into the furnace while Jax stood by, watching it all happen. When the time came for the cremation to begin, Jax bowed his head, said a prayer and ignited the furnace himself. The sight of his mother burning into ash would be in his mind forever.

Through his relationship with Lieutenant Althea Jarry, Chibs was able to clear the guards away from the morgue long enough for Gemma's body to 'disappear'.

No questions were asked since the autopsy had been completed earlier.

Gemma's ashes were put into the urn with care. When it was done, the Nomad Sergeant at Arms stood before the National President and presented the urn to him.

There was a hard look in Jax's eyes as he took the urn from Psycho. "It's going to be a long time before we ever talk again. Thank you for bringing my Mom back to me." Jax said evenly while trying to hold himself together.

Psycho nodded. "All right, then."

With Sharky and Bobby's help, Jax got to his house without getting into an accident along the way. Jax never let go of the urn in his arms.

Taking the younger man into the bedroom, Sharky and Bobby put Jax in his bed. Pulling an armchair close to the bedside, Bobby sat down and watched over his MC brother while Sharky grabbed a beer from the fridge.

"Take the time you need. Tomorrow, if you're feeling up to it, we'll see about setting up a meet between you and Tara so you can see your boys again."

Sharky arrived just in time to hear that last statement Bobby made. "Bobby, I got to talk with Jax man to man for a minute."

Fearing the worst that could happen, Bobby quickly took Jax's knife and guns from the room and from Jax's form. Once it was just the two of them, Sharky sat down in the chair formerly occupied by Bobby a minute ago, Sharky took a deep breath, gathered his thoughts together in his mind and said his peace.

"There is no way I can pretend to know what's bubbling and boiling inside your head. What I do know though is your capacity for both love and hate. Whatever else she may be, you and I know that she is your Old Lady and mother to your sons. Retribution does not help them or you."

Sharky got up from the chair and stood in front of Jax. "Get some rest, Pres. You need it."

As Sharky walked away, closing the door behind him, Jax closed his eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Chicago, Illinois<strong>

At around 2:30 in the afternoon, Tara heard motorcycles pulling up onto the driveway.

It was still and silent in the house up until that moment. The first thing that came to mind was that the club had finally come after her.

She heard a key unlock the door before it opened, revealing Abel and Thomas along with the beautiful, brawny, busty and tall Cortez sisters standing behind them. "Hi, Mom!" Abel and Thomas said.

"Mom, Angelica and Angelina brought us home on their Harleys. Is that alright?" Thomas asked.

Tara looked at Angelica and Angelina for a second before answering, "Of course, Tommy. That was very nice of them." Looking to Abel and Thomas, Tara said, "Go get started on your homework. I'm going to talk with your friends for a while."

Angelica and Angelina watched Abel and Thomas go to their room with their back packs. Once they were in their rooms, Tara turned to the two New Yorkers. "We need to talk."

In the living room, Tara gave Angelica and Angelina a once over glance. They both easily towered over her but did not look down at her. "I can imagine you had the best of intentions but I do not want my children going anywhere near a motorcycle, much less getting on a motorcycle."

"Whether you like to hear it or not, your boys are already drawn to motorcycles. It just happened to be happenstance that we have motorcycles of our own." Angelica said as Angelina wrapped an arm around her big sister's shoulders.

Tara knew what she wanted to ask them but it took a while for the words to reach her tongue.

"How do you put up with it?"

"Put up with what?" Angelina asked.

"I talked with your mother. She mentioned her husband, your father, after dinner at Eve's house. I do not know anything else about him except the fact that he is a Son." Tara said first, both for context and to focus on what she was going to ask. "My boys are the sons of a Son. The two of you are daughters of a Son. How did you come to terms with it?"

Angelina looked to her sister for a moment before answering, "Our parents first talked with Angelica about it when she was old enough to understand. Angelica was the oldest and the first of us to find out about Dad being a Son. She helped Angelo and I understand the lifestyle our father chose for himself when he was a young man."

"He never kept a gun at the house that we know of and we never went looking for any." Angelica replied. "Did something like that happen with Abel and Tommy back in California?"

"No. They never found any guns much less touched one. What I want to know is how can you both accept your father being an criminal?"

"Our father is not a criminal. He never spent a day inside a jail cell or a prison cell." Angelica retorted sharply.

"He is very lucky then."

"Luck would have run out a long time ago. Our father is smart enough to know how to do business without wading through blood."

"I call that a technicality."

"We call it good sense. Brains Before Bullets." Angelina said, quoting the famed credo of the MC.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night." Tara said before asking what she really meant to ask in a very direct and tactless way. "If the two of you have no problem with your father being a patched member of the Sons of Anarchy, I can only imagine what kinds of things the two of you and your mother have done to help your father and the club out."

Moving with a speed she thought they were not capable of having because of their size, Angelica and Angelina put Tara up against the wall without slamming her on it. Their physical strength was obvious but they were smart to not press too hard. No marks would be shown.

"Our father never whored us or our mother out for the club. Do not ever talk that way about us or our mother again." Angelica's stare bored through Tara's head. "The only reason we do not snap you in half like a human wishbone is because we love your boys. Believe it or not, we do give a damn about what happens to Abel and Tommy." Angelina added.

"Why do you care about them? What are my sons to you?" Tara asked while frightened by how physically dominating the two New Yorkers were over her.

"It's like you said. Children of Sons." Angelina said as she and Angelica released Tara from their hold. "It makes for an interesting bond." With a shared glance at each other, Angelica and Angelina turned on their heels and walked away from Tara.

Before they could touch the door, they heard Tara ask them, "Why do you both ride motorcycles? It's not like either of you will ever wear a cut."

"We're aware that the Sons are a boy's club." Angelica said.

"From the first day we understood what the MC is, it was clear to us that only Angelo has a chance to hang a Reaper on his back. We still love motorcycles and riding them." Angelina said.

As Angelica and Angelina were about to leave, Tara took a chance. "Abel and Thomas enjoy having the two of you around. Would you like to have dinner with us tonight? Perhaps we could try again with a fresh start."

Angelica and Angelina looked to each other before they both walked back up to Tara until there was barely a foot of space between her and the Cortez sisters.

"Only if we can do the cooking." Angelica said. "You look like you could use a break from all the work."

"Mom taught us at an early age how to prep and cook food for ourselves, her, Dad and Angelo." Angelina said.

"Alright. I don't know how much food we have but we'll make due with what we have."

No sooner than when she said that, they heard a knock on the door.

* * *

><p>Juice waited in the living room of Larson's apartment as the club banker laundered the 750 thousand dollars he boosted from his latest lab siege. All 13 cadavers burned to ash inside the lab as it also was torched into ruin.<p>

The latest siege brought him to his 75th lab and his body count, which began the day he first became Nomad ten years ago, was brought up to 189. He did not expect anyone to pat him on the back for wiping out so many drug traffickers, cookers and labs in 10 years.

It was about 5 years after being exiled into the Nomad charter when Juice came to terms with the fact that SAMCRO would never welcome him back to the West Coast let alone to Charming. It also stood to reason that there would not be a tombstone to mark his grave when his time came.

He never heard Rane approach the apartment until he knocked on the door. Larson opened the door and welcomed the Nomad President in. Rane sat down across from the Nomad lifer.

They never really sat down to just talk with each other. With everything that happened with Jax's incarceration and Tara doing what she did, Juice did not know if there was anything to talk about. In spite of that, there was one thing that stuck into his brain like a needle. A question he had not asked for 10 years.

"Why did you do it, Rane? Why did you make me go Nomad for life?"

Rane looked at Juice and said, "I saw something in you, Juice. You were more fit for the Nomad charter than you ever were with SAMCRO. Do not think about what you left behind in Charming. That is in the past and the past is gone. What matters now is right here and now. When you are done getting your cash cleaned, I will have it cut into three parts. One for the club, one for yourself and one for Tara." Reaching into his cut, Rane gave Juice the address to SAMCAGO's clubhouse. "Two Nomads are going to be there with a van full of food and drink. You take that and the cash to Tara. Spend the night. You could use some company. Trust me on this, Juice. I know what it is to live alone for so many years. You may not think you deserve it but you need it."

Knowing better than to argue, Juice nodded.

* * *

><p>Upon arrival at SAMCAGO's clubhouse, Juice met with the two Nomads and was almost taken aback by the third man who was taking stock of the van's inventory. He had left Rane Quinn just a minute ago. Did he somehow find the Fountain of Youth and move faster than the speed of sound?<p>

The young man turned to Juice and smiled. "You must be the one my Grandpa told me about. I'm Jonas."

"Is Rane Quinn your grandfather?"

Jonas nodded. "Two days into my leave, I get a call from him saying to come over to Chicago and meet with the Chicago Crew; that they had a job for me. Here I am."

"On leave? You're in the Armed Forces?"

"Sgt. Jonas Lennox. United States Marine Corps."

When everything was loaded up, the two Nomad Sons gave Juice and Jonas the address to Tara's house. Getting into the van, Juice and Jonas drove away.

* * *

><p>An: Rane's grandson & the Nomad lifer are at Tara's doorstep, Jax is wrestling with some inner turmoil and a meeting of the two wayward lovers (Jax & Tara) seems inevitable. Oh and the Teller brothers are being drawn close to the Cortez sisters. That will be brought into play in this story.


	4. Chapter 4

A/n: Hope this update is worth the wait. Things have been crazy lately. Also, just as a heads up, there is some cryptic and adult content in this chapter. Reader discretion is advised. Nothing too graphic or vulgar though. Things are brewing between Charming and Chicago. Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Charming, California<strong>

"How do you think it's going to play out?" Bobby asked. No one in the Redwood Original had any illusions of how it was all going to turn out between their Pres and his Old Lady. That did nothing to make anyone present feel better about it.

"For the sake of the boys, there's no way." Tig said in a moment of surprising insight. "Jax loves them too much to do it and they are going to ask him one day what happened to their mother."

"Right now, they are kids that need their Mom and Dad. When they get older, all bets are off." Happy said grimly. As long as the boys were children and depended on Tara, Jax could not throw any mayhem her way. The moment Abel and Thomas become adults, Tara's days would be numbered.

"How long does that give her?" Chibs asked. He did not want to hear the answer but knew everyone was already asking that unconsciously.

"About 7 years. Abel turns 21 in five years. Thomas turns 21 two years after that." Happy replied to his VP.

"Heads up." Bobby said, motioning to everyone that Jax was on his way towards them. All the Sons of SAMCRO rose to their feet as Jax entered the chapel. There was none of his usual joviality in him. It was all business and nothing else.

Pausing for a moment to get his thoughts in focus, Jax said his peace. "Got word from Sharky. He and Iron Man made it to Chicago. They will get the word out to Tara about the meet."

"Are you going to Chicago or is she coming back to Charming?" Bobby asked.

"Reno, Nevada." Jax replied.

* * *

><p><strong>Chicago, Illinois<strong>

Though the club was anti-drugs, marijuana seemed to be the only acceptable exception.

Having owned 20 percent of a marijuana dispensary, Juice knew how to pick the best green. He also had a better tolerance for the buzz his stash was able to deliver. Tara, on the other hand, had a lower level on her tolerance to weed. It was made clear as she slowly toked on the joint and released the smoke held in her lungs.

Since Abel was in the kitchen helping Angelica clean up and Angelina was with Thomas cleaning the dining room with Jonas, it left the exiled Son and the Old Lady to talk together outside in the patio in private.

In her state of cannabis-induced tranquility, Tara said something Juice never expected to hear from anyone, much less her. "I'm sorry for what I did; what I almost did to you, Juice. You're not an asshole. You were just looking out for me. I was such a stuck up bitch."

"What do you mean?" Juice asked. The part of his mind that wasn't hazed had an idea what she was referring to.

"I almost ran you down with my car." Tara let out a pillar of smoke and looked him in the eye. "You were in Jax's pocket. His little hatchet boy. You're not his hatchet boy anymore, are you?"

"Not anymore." Juice said as he accepted the joint from Tara. Taking a soft pull from it, he let out a few smoke rings. "I can't go back."

Tara laughed before taking another puff. "I could go back whenever I want. If I wanted to. I don't. I won't. Just like you, they'd put me in the ground. Then I really won't be able to leave Charming. They would either bury my ass or fit me into an urn." Looking over Juice in her inebriated state, Tara smirked as thoughts began rushing through her head coupled with ten years of not having been laid. Whatever inhibitions she had in her vanished like the snows of yesteryear.

Since Juice was just as buzzed, he did not have the wherewithal to have done what he ought to when Tara rose from her chair, walked over to him and straddled his lap. "It has been such a long time for the both of us."

Pulling her shirt up and over her head, Tara leaned down and kissed Juice while simultaneously unzipping his pants and hers at the same time.

"What are we doing?" Juice asked though without any objection.

"Exactly what you need and I want." Tara said as she gripped Juice's erection and led it inside her. "Besides, if Jax can fuck anyone he wants, why can't I do the same thing?" Juice felt like he stepped out of his body as he watched Tara fuck him slow at first before riding him harder and harder, crying out his name until they both climaxed.

Though he had just committed yet another unpardonable transgression (sleeping with the National President's Old Lady), the only thing that abolished the sense of post-sex euphoria was when Tara collapsed onto him, burying her face in his shoulder and the sounds of her crying. All he could do was hold her in his arms as she trembled from head to toe.

It had been so long since Juice had ever felt physical contact with someone he wasn't about to kill. For a time, it was as though he was truly cut off from what shred of humanity he had left inside of him.

Now he was laid out on a lawn patio bench, half naked with Jax's Old Lady in his arms.

Little did he or she know that they were being watched and not just by Jonas, who walked in after Tara started crying.

"What's going on here, Juice?"

Juice looked up. Jonas was looking at them with an inquisitive look on his face. If he knew who she was, he would have probably shat enough bricks to build a two-story clubhouse.

"A whole lot of stuff that's been bottled up over 10 years finally came out." Juice said plainly.

"Should I give the both of you a minute to get decent?"

"Yeah. That would be a good idea." Jonas turned his head so Juice could get his clothes on right and Tara's clothes right on her. The less he had to explain, the better.

Once they were situated, Jonas and Juice took Tara to her bedroom. "What are you going to do?" Juice asked.

"I never dropped dime on anyone since I was old enough to talk." Weighing the options and what would happen next, Jonas made a decision. "Get outta here, Juice. If they ask, I'll say you went back on the road."

Juice saw the tear-streaked faces of Tara as she slept and shed a few of his own for her. "She was alone for a long time, Jonas, just like me. We both did bad things."

"I'm not a patched member. You'll have to wait a while before you talk this out with Sharky."

Without bothering to say goodbye, Juice walked out of the room, got into the van and drove away.

* * *

><p>It was about a half hour past midnight when the two Sons infiltrated the house without making any commotion or noise. They crept in like mist. Their military training, coupled with a myriad of covert missions and countless life-or-death situations helped Sharky &amp; Iron Man get into any place no matter how secure it was. A house with only standard door locks and no alarms was nowhere near a challenge.<p>

Making their way through the living room, Sharky and Iron Man spotted Jonas asleep on the couch. They climbed up the stairs without waking Jonas or anyone else.

"Sharky, you got the kids?" Iron Man asked

"Yeah. You got her?" Sharky asked.

"Yeah. I'll try not to bone her unlike a certain Nomad brother of ours." Iron Man saw the whole thing go down and even if he was not at fault, Juice did nothing to stop it.

Sharky first went to Abel and Thomas' room, expecting the kids to be in the same place at the same time. What he came across was surprising to him.

Abel was wrapped up in Angelica's arms as they slept in the same bed while Thomas slept in Angelina's arms as they slept in the same bed.

Once he was close enough, Sharky gently woke up Angelica, who looked up at him with mild alarm. "Relax. I have to talk with you out in the hall. Untangle yourself from Abel and meet me out there as soon as you do."

Angelica maneuvered Abel and kissed his forehead gently so as to not stir him while Sharky woke Angelina and told her to do the same with Thomas.

Once they were in the hallway, Sharky asked the most obvious question. "How did the two of you wind up in bed with Jax Teller's sons?"

"We talked about our families and our hometowns. Over time, we started to enjoy each other's company." Angelica said.

"Also, we kind of grew attracted to them and they more than got attracted to us." Angelina said.

"That is not difficult to figure out." Sharky could see that the Cortez sisters were attractive but he had to keep his mind on the mission and not how Abel and Thomas were getting boners over the beautiful, brawny and busty New Yorkers in front of him. "Jax Teller wants the two of you to take Abel and Thomas with you to New York as soon as their school year ends."

"Does our Mom know about this?" Angelina asked.

"Vince and I will reach out to her after we leave. This is not something for the club. It's about those two boys. Can we count on you two to take care of them in Chicago and New York?"

Angelica and Angelina nodded.

For reasons they would never be able to figure out, Angelica and Angelina asked, "Why did Tara take the boys so far away from Jax?"

Iron Man and Sharky knew the risk of discussing things with outsiders. They also knew the risk of keeping people in the dark especially when asking them to do a big favor. With a shared look in their eyes, Sharky told Angelica and Angelina why Tara took the boys from California to Illinois and why she never chose to return.

The Cortez sisters were blown away to hear that Tara went to that extreme. It was a line that no one ever could come back from. "You sure about it?" Angelica asked. Sharky nodded.

"Why are you asking us? Or is it someone else asking?" Angelina and Angelica needed to know if it was Sam asking or if it was National President Teller asking.

"He's heard along the way all about how the two of you are getting close with his sons. Jax figures you would watch over them unconditionally." Sharky said.

"Just for my peace of mind, have the two of you...and the two of them...you know?" Vince asked. Though he was trying to be discreet, the question was clear as day.

Angelica and Angelina replied at the same time, "No, Vince. That hasn't happened."

After the Nomad VP & Secretary left, Angelica and Angelina stood over Abel and Thomas' beds as if reveling in how the two boys looked so small in comparison to them. Stripping down to their bras and panties, Angelica climbed into Abel's bed and laid him on top of her while Angelina climbed into Tommy's bed and did the same with him.

Angelica ran her fingers through Abel's hair gently, kissed his forehead and whispered in Spanish, "Te quiero mucho, Abel."

Angelina ran her fingers through Tommy's hair, kissed his forehead and whispered in Italian, "Ti amo molto, Tommy."

* * *

><p>An: I hope this was worth the wait. Got no excuses for why it took so long. There was a lot to work with and a lot I had to discard before posting.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chicago, Illinois**

Despite having smoked weed not too long ago, Tara was a light sleeper. It did not take much to wake her up. Upon seeing the Nomad Secretary staring at her five feet from her with his sidearm drawn and pointed at her, Tara was sobered in a hurry. Iron Man put a finger across his lips, telling her to remain quiet. When she complied, he engaged the safety and holstered his sidearm.

"Your children are a stone's throw away. Won't take much to wake them up."

Iron Man handed her an envelope marked JAX. "Jax wants to see you and the boys in Reno, Nevada. The location is in there along with the number to Jax's prepaid cell. Rather than tell you to show up or else, I would say it is better that you don't stand Jax up in Reno."

"Why are you telling me this?" Tara asked.

"You are Jax Teller's Old Lady and the mother of his kids. That has not changed in ten years." Iron Man said. "Oh, by the way, you ought to know that Abel and Tom are not going to be taking up with sweet butts anytime soon. Angelica and Angelina are seeing to that."

Despite being face to face with a Son who could kill her in the blink of an eye, the mental image of the brawny and busty New Yorkers pressing up on her sons caused anger to well up in her head. "Don't mutilate yourself over this. It won't make anything better for anyone. Besides, they're not taking advantage of them."

Standing up from the bed, Iron Man paused for a moment as he contemplated what he was going to say next. "Did Abel and Tommy ever ask you about their father?"

Tara knew exactly what he was asking. "I told them their father had to go away for a while and that I was supposed to take care of them."

"You never thought to tell them anything about what he is, did you?"

Tara's silence told him everything he needed to know. "Keeping stuff from them will only make things worse when they do find out what it is you've not been talking about."

* * *

><p><strong>New York (Brooklyn)<strong>

Juice stood at the front door to a house he had not visited for 21 years for five minutes before he could work up the nerve to knock on it.

The door opened and there stood a young man who looked too young to be an adult and too old to be a boy. He was tall at a height of 6'2" and very built with huge muscles all over his body. His skin was fair with a light tan. The dark, wavy black hair must have come from his father while his dark brown eyes were inherited from his mother.

"Is Coyote here?" Juice asked.

"Who's looking for him?" The young man asked.

"An old friend from back in the day. I knew him before he patched into the MC." Juice started. From the look on the young man's face, no bells were going off. "I guess he never spoke about me."

"Angelo, who are you talking to?" A voice rang from further inside the house.

"Someone who says he knows you, Pop." The young man, Angelo Cortez, said as Coyote appeared from the shadowy living room. "Everything alright?"

Emilio Cortez a.k.a. Coyote looked at Juice for a moment before turning to his son. "It's alright. Go back to work on the Street Bob in the back. When you're done, put the tools away and get to your homework."

"OK, Pop." With that, Angelo walked away, leaving the two Sons to speak alone.

"Hello, Juan."

"Hello, Emilio."

"Come in." Coyote said, leading Juice into his home, closing the door after him.

* * *

><p><strong>Chicago, Illinois<strong>

The door to Abel and Tommy's room looked ominous to Tara, who had a myriad of scenarios going through her head concerning what was happening on the other side of the door. Were they making out with each other? Would she open the door to find the Cortez girls giving morning head to her sons? Were they having an orgy?

With her breath held in her lungs, Tara opened the door.

Abel and Thomas were fully clothed and asleep in their beds all by themselves. Angelica and Angelina were gone, having left sometime in the night.

Tara could not recall another time when she let out a sigh of relief like she did at that moment.

Then she smelled something coming from the kitchen. _Maybe the girls went downstairs to make some breakfast._

"Boys, wake up. Breakfast is on and we're out the door for school in half an hour." Tara said, causing the two teenagers to wake up.

When she left them to check on the activity downstairs, Tommy turned to Abel. "You sure about what you said last night, Abel?"

"Yeah. After hearing those stories Jonas told us last night, I want to be a badass just like him."

When he first heard from Jonas how the Marines fought and the depictions of their adventurous lives, Abel's heart was set on enlisting as soon as he graduated from high school. The action-packed, run-and-gun life of a Marine was ever on his mind.

"If that ever happens, you better not be far from me. Mom would want to make sure the both of us stay alive." Tommy replied. He had shown great potential and interest in the medical practice and yet he showed the same desire for adventure as his big brother. "If I were to become a Marine, more than not, I want to serve as a field medic."

Had either of them knew that they had the Cortez sisters half naked in their beds, the conversation between the Teller brothers would have been very different.

Walking downstairs, Tara expected to see Angelica and Angelina working on breakfast. It was a surprise for her to see the young man who tagged along with Juice making scrambled eggs, toast and bacon while a pot of coffee was freshly brewed. He was dressed in jeans and a white undershirt that showed his physique; no doubt it was the result of strenuous military training.

"Good morning." He spoke. It was somewhat awkward since they never really introduced themselves to each other when they first met. "I hope you don't mind that I started cooking. I'll clean everything up when I'm done."

"No problem." Tara said before deciding to take the first step forward. "I'm Tara."

"I'm Jonas. Nice to meet you, Tara." Jonas said as he handed her a cup of coffee. Abel and Thomas came in with their gear for school less than a minute later.

"Morning, fellas." Jonas said as he set plates full of food in front of Abel and Thomas, who smiled back. "Morning, Jonas." They said as they high fived Jonas as if he were a surrogate older brother.

In Abel's eyes, Jonas was a badass through and through. Having lived in the wilderness of Alaska and then becoming an NCO at the rank of Sergeant in the Marine Corps was enough for Jonas Lennox to earn the unofficial title.

"Did all the cool stuff happen when you joined the Marines?" Abel asked. He clearly had the itch for excitement and adventure.

"Naw. There was one time in Anchorage. My grandpa and I were on a hunting trip and wound up being chased out of the wood by a wild Kodiak bear. He was a giant at 10ft tall with 1500 pounds of killing power." Jonas said, remembering how such a big animal seemed to appear out of nowhere and advanced at them with paws the size of hubcaps.

"How old were you when you joined the Marines, Jonas?" Thomas asked, the tone in his voice suggested he was more grounded than his older brother.

"I was about 18 when I enlisted. You thinking about joining when you get old enough, Tommy?"

"Sort of. Abel's the one who really wants to be a soldier. If I go join the Marines along with Abel, I would want to be a field medic. I've been into learning how to dress wounds, fight infections and treat illnesses."

Though her heart swelled with pride at hearing what Tommy wanted to do with his life, Tara interjected right away when she saw the time. "We're almost running late, boys. Get your gear together. We have to go."

"Listen to your mom. You don't want to be late for school." Jonas said to Abel and Thomas. The way they hung to every word Jonas said was not lost on Tara. Looking up to her, Jonas said, "Don't worry about all this. I'll have everything cleaned up for you by the time you get back."

"Thanks." Tara said to the dirty blonde-haired Alaskan before she left with her sons, closing the door behind her.

While Jonas cleaned up the kitchen, he could not help but feel that there was something about the two boys and their mother that spelled trouble.

Whatever it was, Jonas had a feeling he would soon find out.

* * *

><p><strong>New York (Brooklyn)<strong>

With two rum filled glasses in hand, Coyote walked back into the living room where Juice sat on the couch. "How does it feel to be counted among the Filthy Few?" Coyote asked as he sat in his favorite armchair.

"It's not something I would brag about but I earned it." Juice said as he took the rum in hand. "How does it feel to be Secretary of the New York Crew?"

"It's a change of pace for me and a new weight on my shoulders. Ambition was something I've always been afraid of. The Secretary patch was given to me because the New York Sons believed I earned it. It also took Angie and the kids to convince me that I was fit to hold office."

"To your success." Juice said as a toast to Coyote.

"To your survival." Coyote said as a toast to Juice.

With a clink of their glasses, they drank to each other's health.

Glancing at the mantle, Juice saw family photos of days gone by. It was amazing how Angelica, Angelina and Angelo all grew into giant bodybuilders. What caught his attention was how Angie smiled lovingly at Coyote in their wedding photo.

"I should have had you as my sponsor." The words were out of Juice's mouth before he could think of keeping quiet about that sentiment. "You may have only had 3 years of being a Son under your belt but I think you would have made me a better Son."

"We were both young men back then. I may not have been arrogant but I was green. Even with the patch on my back, I still had a lot to learn." Having poured himself a second round after refilling Juice's glass, Coyote leaned back in his chair. "You made your choice. I made mine. Here we are, hanging the same Reaper on our backs, drinking rum together."

Juice nodded his head. "That we are."

"SAMYORK may welcome you into their clubhouse but they're not going to be opening the doors of their homes to you like I did. You know that, don't you?"

Juice nodded. "If not for Quinn, my head would be on the Reaper pole before being used as an ashtray on a redwood table."

Angelo walked into the living room, making a beeline for Coyote. "Pop, I got a call from Jake down in Tally. He's bringing up 5 crates of Lime Surprise. He thought you might be interested in reserving one before they get bought up by any of the other charters."

Coyote smiled. "Yeah. Mark me down for one. He'll know I'm good for it. Angelo, we still have that fold out bed down in the cellar?"

"Yeah, we do, Pop. Mattress is clean, sheets are fresh and we got some pillows for guests. What's up?" Angelo asked.

"Juice, this is my son, Angelo. He's finishing High School in two years." Coyote said as Juice shook hands with Angelo. "What do you plan to do after that?" Juice asked.

"With any luck, West Point. I'm thinking about becoming a sniper in the U.S. Army."

"That's still a long way ahead. For now, stick to your studies and focus on finishing with good marks in school." Coyote said.

"Yeah, Pop. I know."

Angelo walked back to his studies, leaving the two Sons to talk alone again.

"There are things that many take for granted. A warm bed, good food and friends are among those. You can sleep in the cellars if you need to lay low."

Juice almost wept. Never in his life had such simple comforts sounded so good until now.

Most of all, he was happy to have a friend like Coyote, who embraced him. "Welcome home, brother. Rest easy for as long as you need before you head back out on the road."

While Juice set himself up down in the cellar, Coyote moved Juice's motorcycle out of public view and into the rear area of the house.

* * *

><p><strong>Chicago, Illinois<strong>

Upon her return, Tara found the kitchen completely clean and everything put away. Jonas was doing pushups in the living room, his shirt discarded due to having sweated in it profusely.

Tara watched in silence while marveling at the young man's physique. Though seeing him in the flair of his youth made her feel her age, Tara was getting wet thinking about the things she could do with him.

Snapping herself out of her fantasies, Tara crept back to the kitchen, grabbed a cold beer, water and a towel before taking a deep breath and walking back to the living room.

Jonas was surprised to see Tara appear before him with a towel and some good choices for drinks. "Thanks. I needed a drink." Tara smiled as he grabbed the beer and drank it.

"It's the least I could do since you made breakfast for me and the kids." Tara said, handing the young man the towel so he could dry off.

"They're alright. You seem to have done a good job in raising them. Reminds me of my mom. We really didn't have much but that woman busted ass to put a roof over my head."

Sitting down on the couch together, Jonas felt at ease with talking to Tara about his mother, Mary Lennox. "My mother loved Grandpa but she wasn't crazy about his lifestyle. She wanted something completely different than what my Grandpa had."

"Who is your grandfather?" Tara asked. Her interest was more than peaked when she saw the mild parallel between Jonas and her boys.

"Rane Quinn. The President of the Nomad charter in the Sons of Anarchy MC."

If she was still standing, Tara would have been floored immediately. Without any tact or mental restraint, Tara asked, "Are you a Son? Are you Jax Teller's eyes and ears in Chicago?"

"No, I'm not a Son. I have never met Jax Teller before and I'm not his errand boy. What is he to you?" Jonas responded only to have the answer come to him before she could say it.

It made sense why he thought there was some underlying trouble with her along with how Abel and Thomas were blondes while Tara was dark haired. "Abel and Thomas are Jax Teller's sons and you are his Old Lady? Am I right?" Jonas guessed.

"Abel and Tommy are his sons. Whether I was really his wife or not, I'm not sure anymore." Looking Jonas in the eye, Tara asked in a very blunt way, "Why are you not a Son?"

"Though my mother was afraid I would be interested in doing that, Prospecting was never really something I was crazy about. I love riding motorcycles but that doesn't mean I would naturally be drawn to being a Son."

"So being a patched member of the MC was never a thing for you?" Tara said, amazed that the grandson of a Son did not chose to be a Son himself.

"My mom saw the violence, chaos, uncertainty and secrecy that came with the MC life. In spite of knowing everything that he did for the club, she never stopped loving her father. I once overheard them talking about me. She told him not to let me become a Son. Rane still took me hunting with him. My mother did not want me to go hunting even though it was part of the bonding experience I had with Rane Quinn."

Taking a pull from his beer, allowing the cool liquid to soak his throat, Jonas sighed for a moment before he revealed a truth. "Rane and I were never chased out of any woods by a Kodiak bear. We found a little Kodiak bear cub all alone next to what used to be his mother. She was hunted and killed but the dipshits who did it didn't have the wherewithal or the balls to put her out of her misery. Instead, they mortally wounded her and let her bleed out in front of her young cub. Rane and I tracked them down. It was the first time I ever saw what my grandpa did for the club. Two other sons came in and helped bury the bodies."

Tara was blown away from hearing what really happened. "So Rane told you what you needed to hear?"

"He told me about how he patched in back when JT Teller was alive, what it meant to live on the outskirts of society, the violence that the MC life tends to attract from time to time. I got a pretty good idea of what the Sons of Anarchy was about. So when I came of age, I chose to enlist rather than prospect."

"All I ever wanted was something better for my sons. Something better than what I left behind in Charming."

"Tell them the truth. It is not going to be easy but it's better than having them find out some other way."

Writing down his number on a piece of paper, Jonas handed it to Tara. "If I'm ever in town and you need someone to talk to who's not plugged in with the club."

* * *

><p>Following an intense workout for strength training, bodybuilding and cardio all rolled into one, Angelica and Angelina paid a visit to Lino's house for some R&amp;R and some more exercise. The SAMCAGO VP allowed them to use his swimming pool.<p>

Thankfully, the back yard was private enough that the Cortez sisters were able to skinny dip without fear of anyone trying to be Peeping Toms.

Gloria came out on the patio with a tray of foods loaded with enough proteins, carbohydrates, electrolytes, vitamins and assorted minerals needed for them to grow stronger and bigger.

Setting it on a nearby patio table, Lino's Old Lady walked along the side of the pool, watching Angelica and Angelina practicing their breast stroke. Even though they were in the water, their large breasts and muscular physiques could not be hidden or downplayed underwater.

"Girls, we have to talk." Gloria said. When they swam up to the side and looked up at her, Gloria knew she had their attention. "What are the two of you doing with Teller's sons? I know you're not fans of California or SAMCRO. What's going on?"

Sharing a glance to each other, the Cortez sisters decided to come clean. "We heard from the girls and the New York Crew just what kind of man Jackson Teller is. If we have anything to say about it, we're not going to see his boys turn out just like him." Angelica said.

"From what we've seen, they're good boys now. We just want to make sure they grow up into good men." Angelina added. "It helps that they are cute and they are attracted to us."

Gloria looked them in the eyes and sighed, "I know the two of you mean well but tread carefully. No matter what happens, some people inevitably turn out like their parents. Did either of you made them think you're their girlfriends?"

Angelica and Angelina shook their heads. "We gave them their first kisses and flirted from time to time but not much after that." Angelina admitted.

"In case they got any wrong ideas, you two better get in front of that mess before it spirals out of control. Anyway, speaking of the Tellers, I got a call from your mother. She's going to be at Tara's house. Would the two of you mind going to pick up Abel and Thomas from school?"

"Sure. No problem." Angelica said and Angelina nodded in agreement. "It might be the best time to square things away with them." Angelina added.

"In that case, get inside, shower and change into some dry clothes before you head out."

Emerging from the water, Angelica and Angelina made quick work in devouring all the food on the tray before walking inside the house to shower and change into dry clothes.

* * *

><p>As they showered together, Angelica asked Angelina, "What do we do about Tara?"<p>

"I don't blame her for what she did. The problem is that Jax might do more than blame her." Angelina said as water cascaded down their bodies.

"We'll go down to Reno with them. At the very least, Abel and Tommy will have us as a good distraction from having to see or hear their parents try to kill each other." Angelica said.

"Sounds like an idea. Not sure if it's a good one but it's an idea." Angelina said as she and Angelica rinsed themselves off one last time before turning the water off.

Getting out of the shower and drying themselves off with towels, Angelina and Angelica got dressed.

"What if Gloria is right about them? That they are going to turn out no better than Tara and Jax?" Angelina asked.

Angelica did not like to think that mayhem would ever be needed for this. The more that they learned about the Tellers, the more it seemed inevitable.

"For their sakes, I hope they don't turn out like Jax or Tara." Angelica replied. "I really hope they do not turn out like them."

"With any luck, we'll make sure that does not happen." Seeing how this conversation was taking a bad turn, Angelina decided to change it to something less distressing. "Remember that Alaskan that came by yesterday? I think his name was Jonas."

"What about him, Angelina?" Angelica asked, her curiosity peaked when Angelina spoke of the Marine from Anchorage.

"The boys look up to him. Between him and us, we might not have to kill Abel and Tommy to save them from themselves. Helps that he is easy on the eyes too."

"Angelina Cortez! You're still underage and he's older than the both of us."

"I'm not saying that for me, sis. It's been a while for the both of us. Anyway, if you should ever get a chance to talk with him, who knows? The two of you might hit it off."

"We're from completely different worlds. He's from the countryside of Anchorage. You and I are from the big city of New York. I somehow doubt we have much in common."

"I'm not saying the two of you need to tie the knot. I'm just saying that we both need someone from time to time." Angelina said, remember how they slept half naked in bed with the Teller brothers. The Cortez sisters were very hot blooded. Had they not left in the dead of night, Angelica and Angelina were very certain their restraint would have been broken. "He did give us a second glance when we first met him though."

"If he has a brother who's the same age as you, I would still threaten to geld him with a Lupara if he so much as scratches you." Angelica remarked, knowing Angelo would back her up on that. "As for him giving us a second glance, he was probably wondering how much weight we lifted by our tenth birthday parties."

Angelina kissed Angelica on the cheek warmly. "I know you and Angelo would do that and I love you both for it."

"Angelo has probably a dozen girls trying to bag him back in Brooklyn." Angelica said as she thought of their little brother back home. "I miss him."

Angelina wrapped her arms around her big sister. "Don't worry. If things go right, we'll be back home and Angelo will have both his big sisters with him again."

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Angelica said, "Come on. It's time to go pick up the Teller boys from school...on our motorcycles." Angelica said, earning a high five from Angelina.

Once Angelica got on her Softail Deluxe and Angelina got on her Fat Boy with their helmets on, they revved up the engines and rode off together.

* * *

><p>An: If I continued further on this chapter, it would be longer than it already is. Do not think I'm putting this off for later. Real life does take a lot of my time and there was a lot of material I had to weed through before I could come up with this. Leave a review if you like. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year too! P.S. The showdown in Reno between Jax and Tara is still to come. I'm not trying to postpone it. There's just a lot to go through before I get to it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Charming, California**

Lieutenant Althea Jarry could count a handful of people that could change her attitude. The lanky, bearded man standing in front of her with a brown paper bag in his hand was one who always changed her mood for the worse.

That smile of his, the one that suggested he knew something everyone else didn't, had not gone away. It was there on his face as clear as day though it was hidden under his mustache. It was a smile that inspired her to take up police brutality as a hobby.

"Good morning, Lieutenant Jarry. I must say that you are a much welcome change to this department. A breath of fresh air, so to speak."

"Why are you doing here, Lincoln?" Althea asked as Lincoln Potter set the bag on her desk and pulled out various items. "I come bearing a quaint little lunch. I imagine that being the arm of the law in this town can take up much of your time. Not good to chase down criminals on an empty stomach."

Althea went from annoyed to angry when she saw him take out a bottle of Scottish whiskey and a container filled with haggis.

"Is this supposed to be a joke? If it is, I'm not laughing." Althea snapped.

"District Attorney Ty Patterson and I would say the same thing, Lieutenant Jarry. The company you keep and the fact that you supplement your income by receiving graft from the MC makes your work ethics very shady to say the least. That is just my professional opinion, which does not have any bearing on my personal opinion of you filling your bed with Jackson Teller's Vice President."

"My relationship with Telford is none of your concern or DA Patterson's."

"It seems a bit of the outlaw attitude has rubbed off on you, Althea. Time will tell if you can do your job with one foot on each side of the fence." Lincoln said as he took out a bag of Cheetos and started munching on a handful of cheesy snacks.

"A murder case that has been cold for nearly a decade will be closed. When it happens, you will be required to be present at this location on the California/Nevada border to receive and transport the culprit to a correctional facility." Potter reached into his pocket, fished out a post it note and placed it in Althea's hand.

"Oh, there's one other thing I believe goes without saying." Lincoln Potter said as he took a pen from Althea's desk and wrote on the back of the post it before showing it to her. It read 'Do Not Tell The Sons!'

"Make sure to eat that haggis while it's still warm." Lincoln Potter said as he left her alone, closing the blinds of her office so as to give her privacy.

Althea grabbed the haggis and threw it in the garbage.

* * *

><p><strong>Location: Unknown<strong>

Jonas spotted four Sons standing around his grandfather. As he approached them, Jonas saw them turn their heads in his direction. He was soon on the receiving end of an inquisitive glance from Tommy Moran and a death glare from Psycho as they approached him.

"You're early. Guess the Marines does a lot for your ETAs, didn't they, kid?" Psycho growled to the younger man. "From the looks of it, the Army didn't have a psyche ward fit for you."

"Jonas, Danny, now is not the time for busting chops." Rane said, his razor sharp hearing allowing him to hear the conversation between his grandson and Sergeant at Arms. "Jonas, front and center."

"Go on. Don't want to keep your grandpa waiting."

Walking past Psycho and Moran, Jonas sat down across from Rane, who was joined by Sharky and Iron Man. "Did you find her house easily?" Sharky asked.

Jonas nodded at Sharky before looking at Rane. "Was I just supposed to deliver food?"

Rane smiled thinly behind his mustache and beard. "Those boys have been raised by their mother and lacked for any male figure for ten years. They need someone to look up to; someone to show them how to become men."

"Abel and Tommy? You wanted me to play mentor for them?"

"Considering what is going to happen, they will need someone to help keep them together."

Jonas had a feeling there was trouble surrounding Tara and her sons. Now that feeling was a fact.

"What's going to happen?" Jonas asked.

"It's something you won't be able to stop but it has to happen."

The question was on the tip of his tongue but Jonas did not ask it. Somehow, he knew that it was club business and it gave a good impression about what type of man Jackson Teller really was; the type that never forgot anything and always sought retribution for transgressions.

"I've never played a role model or mentor for any kids before in my life. Not only that, I could be called away on a mission at the drop of a hat."

"Yeah. We figured that. You're not the only one we thought to give this task to. That way, you won't be alone."

Then Jonas remembered the New Yorkers. "Angelica and Angelina are in on this too?"

"They'll be in town, watching over them until the end of the school year. After that, Abel and Tommy move to New York."

* * *

><p><strong>Chicago, Illinois<strong>

Upon arrival at the school, Angelica and Angelina took Abel and Tommy to a nearby park with a basketball court. Along the way, they came across a vendor and bought some after school snacks.

The food helped break the tension and lightened the mood, especially after the talk they had earlier. When they arrived at the school, Angelica and Angelina told Abel and Tommy exactly where they stood with them and what they were. Though it was not the best news for them to hear, Abel and Tommy did not break down over it. They just had questions.

"Were you attracted to us before you found out who our Dad was?" Abel asked out of curiosity.

Angelica and Angelina nodded. "We heard your names and we heard about who you were. At the time we met you, there were no faces to match with the names." Angelica said before Angelina spoke up. "You both seem like nice boys now. Angelica and I just want to see that you don't turn out bad when you grow up."

"Why do the two of you care so much about us?" Abel asked. He and Tommy were both wondering how two women they never met before were so invested in their futures.

"Tommy, Abel, we may look completely different from each other but the two of you and the two of us are in the same boat." Angelica started.

"Which boat is that?" Abel asked.

"Children of Sons. I heard even Jonas is like us." Angelina said, thinking of the Alaskan Marine.

"His dad is a Son?" Tommy asked.

"Naw. My grandfather is a Son. My dad never Prospected in his life."

Abel, Angelica, Angelina and Tommy turned to see Jonas standing there. He was able to approach them without any of them knowing it until he spoke.

He looked at Angelica and spoke again. "Angelica, right?"

"Yeah. What's up?" Angelica asked.

"I have to chew the fat with you for a bit. Can you give me a minute?"

Angelica smiled at him. "I'll give you two."

Jonas turned to Angelina. "You're Angelina, right?" She nodded.

"You got these fellas?" Jonas asked.

"Sure. I'll look after them."

Jonas looked to Abel and Tommy with a smile and shook their hands warmly. "Abe, Tom, good to see you again. I have something for you. If you're really interested in the USMC, this should help you on your way." Jonas laid down several pamphlets and brochures that detailed everything from Basic Training and beyond. "Thanks, Jonas." Abel said.

Jonas and Angelica walked several yards away while staying close to the Tellers and Angelina. Though he had seen many women in his life, Jonas never saw women who had the muscles or the boobs that Angelica and Angelina had. The only thing that kept him from trying his luck with them was that they were both younger than him by 5 years and 7 years respectively. He never thought of himself as a cradle robber in spite of one being over the legal age of consent.

"What's going on?" Angelica asked, curious as to why Jonas would want to talk with her in private.

"Jax Teller, Abel and Tommy's father, just called out Tara. My grandpa told me about it. Something is going to go down in Reno and I can not stop it. No matter how much I want to for their sake, I can not and neither can you or your sister. In case I'm not there, can you and Angelina go down to Reno with the boys? They need someone other than their Ma to watch their backs."

Angelica mulled that over in her head. She had the suspicion that Abel and Tommy were about to witness something bad in the next 24 hours. The busty and brawny New Yorker did not have to think once about it. "Are we going in a cage or can we ride out on our Harleys?"

"You can take 'em on your Harleys. I don't see why not. Just make sure they got helmets on."

Angelica smiled. "We'll ride safe."

"Oh, don't forget that they have to be home before dark. Don't want Tara to be worried sick about them." Jonas said as Angelica rejoined her sister and the Teller boys.

Several hours later, Jonas would receive a call informing him that his leave was over and had to report in at the nearest Marine base.

* * *

><p>Putting the final touches, Tara signed her name and put the letter into a manila folder marked For Abel &amp; Thomas Teller. Turning her eyes upward, Tara met the gaze of Angie's eyes.<p>

"How much time do I have left?"

"Until midnight tonight. After that, the only way you're out of his reach is if you leave the country. While we're talking about that, there is something that has been on my mind but I never thought to ask."

Tara became suspicious. "What's been on your mind?"

"You ran to Chicago. Put distance between you and Jackson. I never once asked you why you ran away from California. Figured you had your reasons for it. Since you never brought it up, I figured you would say it was for your sons. I have heard that story one too many times so don't say it. I won't believe you."

Angie stared at Tara for a moment without a word spoken before saying, "Close your eyes, take a deep breath, hold it, count to three. When you let that breath of air out, decide whether or not you tell me what you did that made you run."

"You have been kind to me. Your girls have become friends with my boys. They even go out of their way to make supper for me and my sons. You never once tried to extort anything from me or suggest that I'm in any way indebted to you. If I had a friend like you, things may have been different. The thing is, Angie, you have the life I don't. You have no idea what I have had to endure; the blood I had to wash off my hands every day I was with Jackson Teller. You have the full use of both your hands, you don't want for the things I lack and your husband, the father of all three of your children, never spent a day in jail. I can not relate to that and whenever I think of what you have in New York, I hate you. Everything I have ever done in the past, I have done for my children and I will not apologize for any of it."

Angie looked Tara square in the eye. "Is that the message you want Abel and Tommy to carry with them the rest of their lives? With children in the picture, there is no accountability for your actions?"

"I would do anything for them." Tara snapped.

"You are no different than Jackson Teller himself."

"Fuck you, Angela Cortez. You are not better than me!"

"I never said I was. I only tried to be your friend."

The sound of motorcycles arriving at the house caught their attention. "Sounds like the children are home." Before Tara could react, Angie took the manilla folder with the letter meant for Abel and Tommy from her and stuffed it into her purse. "Ci sono sempre conseguenze per ogni azione. Imparerete che molto presto, amica mia." (There are always consequences to every action. You will learn that very soon, my friend.)

* * *

><p>It was 11pm as Tara looked at the clock, weighing her options.<p>

Show up on her own or be dragged before Jackson Teller against her will.

At 11:15pm, Tara picked up the phone and dialed the number provided in the JAX envelope. She knew who would pick up.

There was not much to say except, "I'll see you in Reno, Jax."

* * *

><p>An: The moment draws near. After 10 years apart, Jax Teller and Tara Knowles will confront each other again in Reno.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chicago, Illinois**

The inevitable has come and there was no way she could outrun or evade it. This unwavering fact woke her long before the alarm clock could go off.

"Mom! Breakfast is ready." Tara recognized Abel's voice. For a moment, she did not feel so bad.

"We're going to see Dad today." Tommy said, instantly squashing Tara's optimism and instilling a state of panic. She never mentioned to them about the meeting with Jax today and neither did the Cortez sisters.

Getting into a robe, Tara opened the door to find Abel and Thomas standing there in front of her in their pajama pants and t-shirts. "Who told you that we were going to see your father?"

"Danny told us." Abel said as Tommy pointed to his left.

Tara looked down the hall and almost shat a cinder block when she saw the brutish Nomad Sergeant at Arms staring at her. He was built like a professional wrestler with the eyes of a predator. Along with him were two Sons she never met before.

One was bald with a five o'clock shadow and a physique that strongly suggested that he was in the Armed Forces before becoming a Son. From the pin he wore proudly on his cut, he was a Navy man. From his posture and the way he carried himself, he was a SEAL.

The other had shoulder length brown hair; his face partially hidden by a beard and mustache but what caught Tara's attention was the rope burn around his neck. He barely survived a lynching. Though his physique was worlds different that the bald Son, there was something about him that also bore the mark of a man who served in the military.

"Abel, Tom, go down and get some grub. There's not going to be many pit stops." The bald Son said.

"Alright, Hank." Abel said as he and Tommy walked towards the kitchen. The Sons stood to the side so they could clear the way for them before turning their attention back to Tara.

"So you're Jackson Teller's Ol' Lady, huh?" The bearded Son said as he and the other two Sons approached her. The curl of his lip was either the precursor to a growl or a laugh. With Psycho, not even his own brother Nomad Sons could tell right away. From the way she backed up, Tara looked like an animal being drawn into a corner. "Ease up, Doc. We're not here to start anything with you." The bald Son remarked calmly.

"Why are you here in my house?"

"We figured you might get lost on the way to Reno." The Nomad Sergeant at Arms said before making introductions. "The bald man from the Bayou is Swamp Man. The bearded redneck from Kentucky is Snake Doctor. I'm Psycho."

"I bet you are." Tara said as she looked at them warily.

"Come on down with us. There's some good food downstairs. Angie taught her girls well. They can cook up a damn good breakfast." Snake Doctor said in his usual gleeful manner.

* * *

><p>Abel and Tommy, having walked on ahead, arrived in the kitchen first and were greeted by the sight of Angelica and Angelina prepping three piece stacks of hotcakes with honey and butter while sausages and bacon cooked in the oven. Though the room was filled with the smells of great food, their attention was zeroed in on the Cortez sisters. They wore white tank shirts that amplified their huge, perky breasts and displayed their very muscular physiques. Black denim jeans hugged their round asses and muscle toned legs like a second skin. Angelica walked up to Abel while Angelina walked up to Thomas. Because the Teller brothers were sitting down and the Cortez girls were standing up, Abel and Tommy were staring straight at the biggest boobs they had ever seen while fingers were being gently combed through their hair.<p>

"Dormiste bien?" Angelica spoke first in Spanish.

"Avete dormito bene?" Angelina spoke second in Italian.

The Cortez sisters leaned down and kissed the Teller brothers on the head before walking back to check on the food as if they hadn't inadvertently given Abel and Tommy some serious morning wood.

"Good morning."

Rane's voice almost had Abel and Tommy jumping out of their chairs in surprise. The Nomad President smiled knowingly at what the two teenage boys were going through. "Girls, I'll man the ovens. Get yourselves some food and join the boys for breakfast. I won't have any of you starving when we hit the road."

Angelica and Angelina knew better than to question such orders from Rane Quinn. With a plate of piping hot food, the Cortez sisters each gave Rane a kiss on the cheek before joining Abel and Tommy at the table for breakfast.

By the time they were each half way through, Tara walked in with Swamp Man, Snake Doctor and Psycho escorting her.

When she walked into the kitchen, Tara noticed how they dispersed before helping herself to some food and a cup of coffee. Upon arrival at the table, Tara saw Abel sitting next to Angelica, laughing at something she had said while Tommy was smiling at Angelina.

"Good morning." Tara said, causing the quartet to turn their attention to her.

"Good morning." Angelica, Angelina, Abel and Tommy said in unison.

Tara sat down at the head of the table, her boys sat closest to her while the Cortez sisters sat in the middle area of the table. Tara ate at a steady pace while keeping an eye on the girls and her boys.

For a moment, everything was silent and still until Rane, Moran, Psycho, Swamp Man and Snake Doctor entered the dining room. "We got some news. Listen up."

Tara and the kids listened as Rane told them what was going to happen. "It's a day and some hours between here and Reno. The guys will get some overnight bags prepped. Angelica, Angelina, get your gear together. I'll put the word out to your Ma that you're going down to Reno. There's some extra food in the kitchen that just came out of the oven. Get yourselves a good fill on the way."

Angelica and Angelina took their plates to the kitchen but not before they each ruffled a head of blonde hair on the way out. The look on Tara's face was not lost on any of the Sons gathered.

Psycho, Moran, Swamp Man and Snake Doctor made quick work of packing up the basic essentials for Tara, Abel and Tommy and packed them into the car. Angelica and Angelina were already packed up and ready to go. Tara then said, "Abel and Tommy are riding with me."

"Mom, we wanted to ride with Angelica and Angelina on their motorcycles." Abel said.

Seeing Tara's temper on the rise, Angelica and Angelina conceded to her judgment. "She's right, boys. There wouldn't be enough space for you guys and our gear." Angelica said.

"Don't worry. We're all going to the same place together." Angelina said. Tara was a bit put off at seeing what she saw as flirtation between the four of them but was silently thankful that the girls did not try to undermine her wishes.

"Alright, ramblers. Let's get rambling!" Quinn said as he, the Cortez sisters and the Nomad Sons mounted their motorcycles and revved their engines to life.

With that, the Sons, the Cortez sisters, Tara and the Teller brothers drove out of Chicago and began the long journey to Reno, Nevada.

* * *

><p><strong>New York (Brooklyn)<strong>

"Coyote! How's it hangin', young brother?" Sharky said as he embraced Coyote while Iron Man supervised the inventory of the shipment from Tallahassee to Brooklyn. The former USMC Force Recon Captain and Sergeant met up with 6 Sons from SAMTAF who were helping Jake by moving a dozen crates of top quality Lime Surprise since he was on active duty in Florida.

"Everything's hanging where it ought to hang and I'm on my two feet with a pulse. I'm good. How is the road treating the both of you?" Coyote asked.

"We're still riding above ground so we're doing something right." Iron Man quipped as a crate of Lime Surprise was put between him, Sharky and Coyote. "How goes the booze business in Brooklyn?"

"Steady and silent. Keeping our heads down while keeping our bankrolls flush." Coyote remarked. "We saw your girls a while ago in Chicago. You raised some good kids, Coyote." Iron Man said while keeping the issue of them getting close with the Teller brothers quiet.

"The credit goes to my wife. She's helped guide them in ways I couldn't but yeah. I had a hand in raising those girls as well as my boy. They've actually shown interest of joining the military. Angelica, Angelina and Angelo all want to make the jump together for the US Army. What do you guys think?"

Though both men regarded the Marine Corps as the place to be, Sharky and Iron Man had different opinions.

"Not everyone becomes a Marine. Wherever they go, if they give it everything they have and they really want to be there, I have no doubt they're going to succeed."

Iron Man laughed. "That's you talking, Sharky. For me, the Marines make ya double tough, hard to kill and turn boys into men."

"You two got a place to crash at tonight?" Coyote asked.

"We were thinking of staying over at the clubhouse in Queens." Iron Man said.

"Change of plans, Sergeant Valentine. You and Captain Voorhees here are settling up at my place. We'll have home cooked foods, a quart of shine to share and warm beds to sleep in. How's that?"

"Sounds like a plan." Sharky said.

Turning around, Coyote gave a sharp whistle and motioned for someone to come from the car parked next to his Road King. Sharky and Iron Man kept a straight face as Juice approached them. "Sharky. Iron Man. Didn't expect to see ya."

"Right back at ya, Juice. What's with the cage?" Iron Man asked.

"It's a rental. Coyote told me to bring it so I could transport the shine to his house without anything falling off." Juice said. He was hoping that he didn't give anything away from the tone of his voice. Somehow, he had the sense that Sharky and Iron Man knew more than they let on.

"Let's get going then." Sharky said.

While the six SAMTAF Sons rode to Hunter's Point, Coyote rode back to Brooklyn with Sharky, Iron Man and Juice following him.

* * *

><p><strong>Charming, California<strong>

Chibs, Tig, Happy, Rat Boy and Bobby were a wild bunch of loyal, crazy surrogate brothers for Jackson Teller.

That unity within the club did nothing to deter, stall or stop him from making the arrangements for the Reno rendezvous behind their backs.

Ten years of his life were spent in a prison cell, serving out the term meant for Tara as well as trying to clear the bad history between the club and the law.

He imagined coming home, seeing his sons grown into teenagers, Gemma and Tara being there to help him readjust to life on the outside.

Instead, he came home to an empty house with no one there to greet him, a dead mother and his Old Lady having ran out on him with their sons.

It felt like someone put a nail bomb right next to his heart, flipped the switch and blasted shrapnel through it, his lungs, ribs and everything else. Being in that empty house was even worse than being locked up in a prison cell.

One of his burner phones rang. Judging from the ring tone he put in, Jax did not have to guess who was on the other line. "I'll see you in Reno, Jax."

"I'm looking forward to seeing you and my boys again, Tara."

Despite everything that happened, Jax worked to take the club out of illegal enterprises. Turning over the RIRA arms business to black in Oakland and the Italian Cosa Nostra on the West Coast went a long way. It wasn't something done overnight and it took a while for the Triads and the Mayans to adapt to the transition. Other than some minor disputes, the massacres and street warfare was down to a minimum.

The only hot action the club dealt with was running Red Woody Inc. along with Diosa Norte and Diosa Del Sur. No one had problems adjusting to that transition. Though there was no shortage of women available for distraction, entertainment and other 'services', Jax almost did not pursue any of it...at first. Before long, he became one of their most frequent patrons.

In the midst of his inner turmoil, Jax spent many nights at Stockton and Red Woody Inc. The only reason why none of what he did wound up on film was because Lyla found the footage first. Jax still found a way to be careless and foolish. Instead of destroying the footage, Lyla held it over Jax's head, which is why he never raised the cost of operations on Red Woody Inc.

One day, Collette Jane called Jax and demanded to know what happened between him and one of her girls at Diosa Del Sur. She just packed her bags and left without any notice. All that was left was a note that read, "I am done with this. I can not do it anymore. I need something new that does not include Jackson Teller." While he never answered directly, Jax told her that he did not force himself on her or abuse her.

Jax never disclosed to Chibs and the rest of SAMCRO what happened between him and Winsome, the girl who left Diosa Del Sur and vanished in the dead of night.

The only person who knew the truth was Nero Padilla since he helped Winsome leave California under a new identity and a Greyhound bus ticket.

* * *

><p><strong>New York (Brooklyn)<strong>

The warm atmosphere of Coyote's house was worlds different than what Jackson Teller had to endure on the West Coast.

Angelo cooked up some rib eye steaks for his father, Sharky and Iron Man while prepping some baked potatoes loaded with butter, sour cream and cheese. Juice helped himself to a roast beef sandwich with Swiss cheese and barbecue sauce.

Soon, the five of them were sat at the kitchen table, telling tales between shots of Lime Surprise and a few raunchy jokes between bites. "Angelo, your Pop tells us that you and your sisters are thinking of enlisting. That true?"

Angelo nodded his head. "We all thought to enlist in the same place so we wouldn't be separated from each other. Angelina and I are set on joining the Army. Angelica is alright with it though I have seen her looking at several USMC brochures from time to time."

"Don't go somewhere just so you can all stay together. It's good that you all are close with each other and want to do things as a unit but some have to find their own way in life. If the Army's what you and Angelina want to be in, I'll wish you both the best. Angelica may be a different story." Sharky said objectively.

"If she's been looking more to the Marines than the Army, more than not, it is not because she wants to let the two of you down or be away from you." Coyote said kindly. "You know that, right?"

"Of course, Pop." Angelo said. Though he loved women, his mother and sisters were the three women he loved more than the others.

"If Angelica wants to join the Marines, that's a choice she has to make for herself. She will always be your sister, Angelo. Never forget that. I'm just interested to see what it would be like to see two soldiers from the Army and a Marine sat together at the same table." Iron Man said to everyone's amusement.

Juice watched silently and ate his food while Coyote and Angelo talked with Sharky and Iron Man. The family unity and friendship between them was palpable. It was the first time in 10 years since he had heard such sounds of laughter and happiness.

They finished the meal with shots of Lime Surprise. They toasted the Cortez trio and wherever their pursuits would take them; the Nomad Sons for all they contributed to the club and for Coyote's girls to get the hell home safely and alive. "Especially Angie because I will wager dollars for moonshine that Coyote's been missing her the whole time she's been in Chicago."

Shark laughed at Coyote almost hanging his head in admittance. "Don't be embarrassed, Coyote. I've been where you are once upon a time. Don't bother with cleaning up. You let us crash at your house so Vince, Juice and I will take care of it."

"Thanks, Sam." Coyote said as he walked off to call Angie while Angelo shook hands with the two older men before going off to lift weights and work out. He wanted to get stronger and bigger just like his sisters. That was another desire they all shared; a desire that dated back to 2015 and a midnight pantry raid they never spoke about to anyone.

With Coyote and Angelo gone, the three Nomad Sons made quick work in cleaning the kitchen and putting everything away. Not a word was spoken until Sharky said, "How was your stay in Chicago?"

"Fine." Juice said as if that one word answer would sate the Club Chaplain and Nomad VP.

"We heard from Rane that he sent you and his grandson to Tara's house. Is that right?"

Though they were asking the questions, Juice could tell that it was all rhetorical. They knew.

"Yeah. I did. A cut of the money I got from a lab siege went to her and a van full of food. Figured that would help ease her burdens."

"Oh, yeah. You sure eased her burden." Iron Man said in a way that made Sharky almost chuckle and Juice feel like the walls were closing in on him.

"Did Rane send you here on a mayhem vote?" Juice asked.

Sharky and Iron Man shook their heads. "No mayhem. If you ever show your face anywhere near the West Coast, vote or no vote, it won't matter." Sharky said as Iron Man grabbed the jar of Lime Surprise along with three glasses before walking out to the living room. "Coyote won't appreciate blood stains in his house. They're a bitch to clean off the walls and the floor anyway."

Juice followed Sharky and Iron Man into the living room where they sat down and had a shot of moonshine. The moonshine was just the thing to help quell Juice's nerves. Then the real talk began.

Sharky spoke first. "Juice, you're a smart kid when you need to be. You're the most tech savvy guy I've met so far in the club and that's saying a lot. That being said, what were you thinking when you banged Tara? She's still Jax's Old Lady and he just got out of prison. That means you can forget about using the prison clause to protect you."

"Protect me? Sharky, Jax wanted me dead before I went Nomad. I'm pretty sure ten years have not changed his opinion of me. I have no protection. If Quinn did not put the Nomad option on the table, I would have caught mayhem right then and there. As for Tara and I, we had no one. She was all alone as I was and lived with the fear of death hovering over us."

Vince chose to interject himself in the conversation. "We saw it all. You didn't go looking for it. It happened because she put the advances on you. You may not be at fault but Jax won't see it like that. There's no bigger way to show you got a set of brass balls or demonstrate having a death wish like banging the Old Lady of the National President. We won't tell him. We were never trained in the Corps or the club to drop dime."

"Go get some rest, Juice. You need it." Sharky said as he patted Juice on the back of his head before walking away. Juice watched as Iron Man followed before turning around, grabbing his crotch and saying, "By the way, cajones grandes, amigo."

Sharky and Iron Man were set up in a den room. After wining a brief fist fight, Sharky got the fold out sofa bed. Vince had to settle for the sleeping bag on the billiards table.

Juice climbed down to the cellar where his fold out bed was set up. It was not much but it was comfortable enough for him. Climbing onto the soft bed, he took a deep breath, said a prayer for Tara, turned the light off and went to sleep.

* * *

><p>An: The show may be over but the stories continue to be told. I'm planning to do a follow up story to this one. I'm still trying to figure out a plot and what it is going to treat on but I do know who will be in it. Oh, one other thing, it's a long way between Chicago and Reno. I'm not trying to prolong the inevitable. There's a lot of material to go through.


	8. Chapter 8

A/n: the name used in the first part of this chapter is a nod to Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket. Points to whoever can figure out the reference.

* * *

><p><strong>Fort Collins, Colorado<strong>

All the Nomad Sons were on high alert upon the minute they walked into the lobby of the hotel Rane had booked for them, especially Rane when he did not see Dale or Annna out front to greet them upon their arrival.

In spite of the paranoia festering in all of them, the Nomad Sons kept their composure so Tara, Abel, Tommy, Angelica and Angelina would not get spooked.

The front desk clerk looked kind of...weird. Rane looked him in the eye for a moment.

"Reservations under G.S. Hartman." To anyone who did not know him, Rane's voice came off as unassuming and casual. To the Sons who knew him, fought alongside him and rode under his command, they knew that something fishy was going on and it involved the clerk who was thumbing through the hotel files to find their reservation.

In a matter of minutes, four keys were handed out. Angelica and Angelina's room was adjoined to Abel and Tommy's room while Tara's room was adjoined the room kept by the Nomad Sons.

Rane gathered everyone together and started handing out keys. "Hank and Tara are bunking with me. Psycho, you're with Moran and Snake Doctor."

Turning his attention to the Californian brothers and the New Yorker sisters, Rane handed Abel a key and then handed Angelica the last one. "Abel, you and Tommy get your own room. Angelica, you and your sister get one of your own."

Walking through the hallways, everything was quiet. Too quiet. "You all hear anything?" Swamp Man asked. The other Sons shook their heads. "No. I hear nothing." Moran said plainly.

"Yeah. No noise, chatter, yelling, TV blasting, couples going at it hot and heavy. There's nothing." Swamp Man said. Growing up in the Bayou, there never was a night where there wasn't the sounds of crickets, frogs, bugs, gators and other creatures crawling across the ground, climbing the trees or wading through the swamp waters.

The silence was not calming or comforting.

Thankfully, it did not take long for them to reach their rooms, which happened to be close to each other.

"Yo, Snake, ya got 'em?" Psycho asked.

"Yeah, Danny. I got 'em. Ready to take a shellacking and two months of KP?"

"I'm ready to take 6 jars of Apple Pie off your hands for free." Psycho remarked as he, Snake Doctor and Moran walked into their room, closing the door behind them.

Swamp Man opened the door and motioned for Tara to enter. "Ladies first." Though he was well mannered when he needed to be, Swamp Man knew not to turn his back on Tara for one minute.

"Hank, you get yourself and Tara set up. I got to reach out to Jonas." Rane ordered before taking his cell phone out and dialing a number before disappearing down the hallway.

Tara was about to ask why everyone was suddenly on high alert when Swamp Man said, "You have more important things to think about than who my Pres is calling."

She wasn't pleased to hear him talk to her in such a way but the look on Swamp Man's face left nothing open for discussion or debate. Tara sighed in resgination and walked into the hotel room with Swamp Man behind her.

* * *

><p>When he was well out of sight far enough so they could not hear him, Rane hung up the phone and made a beeline for the lobby. To no surprise, he found a mousy young lady at the front desk. "Where is Lincoln?"<p>

"He's in the main dining hall, sir."

"Don't 'sir' me. I work for a living." Rane growled before storming into the dining room where Lincoln Potter sat at a corner booth, munching on chicken tenders, blanched green beans and mashed potatoes. "This is a fine establishment though Mr. and Mrs. Hosken's preferred clientele leaves much to be desired. Manners, decency, acquiescence to the law. Things like that. It's not that I think you lack in the first two, Rane. It's only that you have none of the third every time you wear that cut of yours."

"What the hell are you doing out here, Lincoln? Dale and Anna have not broken any laws." Rane growled as he advanced towards Potter, who wiped his mouth daintily with a napkin.

"Operating an establishment which aids to harbor criminal offenders is rather vague and minor in the grand scheme but it's enough to warrant a charge of harboring criminals and obstructing justice. That not withstanding, I wanted to see if you would accomplish your mission. You always were keen about accomplishing your missions in your time as a Navy SEAL. I admire that. Even if you turned out an outlaw biker, I have not lost my respect for you."

In the blink of an eye, Rane grabbed Lincoln by the front of his shirt, pulled him over and across the table before he had Lincoln dangling a foot off the ground. "Do not do anything rash, Rane."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because of this." Lincoln said as he calmly took a device out of his pocket that looked like a beeper. "I press this button and your MC brothers get introduced to five SWAT teams who are trained to shoot upon the slightest sign of hostility."

Rane sat Lincoln back down behind the corner booth roughly. "Start talking."

"Like I said, I wanted to see if you would come through. I would strongly advise that you keep Ms. Knowles in your sights and make sure she gets to Reno."

"What happens when she gets there?" Rane asked.

Lincoln looked at Rane in the eye and said simply, "Justice."

Rane was about to leave when Lincoln said, "Do not worry about Dale and Anna Hosken. They were not arrested. Just escorted home for the time being."

The only response Rane gave was a nod of the head before he walked out of the dining hall.

* * *

><p>"Who's the woman in the picture?"<p>

Tara basically kept to her side of the room that was closest to the bathroom while Hank 'Swamp Man' McCoy was nursing a shot of moonshine after checking his sidearm and backup piece as if he had done it a million times in his life. One look in the Bayou native's direction and she saw a picture pinned on the headboard of his bed. It was of a beautiful woman in her mid 40s with dark hair, deep brown eyes and a soft smile.

Swamp Man looked at it for a moment and said, "My Old Lady, Skyla. She lives down in New Orleans. I see her every now and again."

"Girlfriend or wife?" Tara asked, put off at his casual tone. Hank gave her a hard look and said, "Don't wear anything that can be traced back to loved ones. That's one of the many laws of the Nomad charter and one of the many prices paid for the life we lead."

"Why aren't you with her? Why leave her in New Orleans and run off to nowhere?" Tara asked, surprising herself with why she bothered to ask a Son something so personal.

"I'm not on the run like you. I know that for a fact." Hank said, downing a shot of his infamous moonshine. "We all had our reasons for going Nomad just like you had your reasons for leaving Charming. It was something we had to do or it was something we thought had to be done."

He reached into his bag, took out a spare shot glass from his duffel bag, filled it with his Swamp Special and offered it to Tara. "If there ever was a time."

"What's that you're drinking?" Tara asked as she slowly approached Swamp Man.

"My own recipe. Hits you like a runaway train and goes down hot with a smooth finish." Swamp Man said. He poured barely a finger's worth and handed it to Tara, who looked at the portion incredulously. "Do you really think I'm that much of a lightweight?"

"I know you are that much of a lightweight." Swamp Man replied.

"Could you fill it with two fingers at least?" Tara said before realizing the innuendo she just used. From the raised eyebrows, Swamp Man caught it right away. "I don't know. Can you fill it with two fingers?" Swamp Man joked as he poured a full two shot portion of shine into Tara's shot glass. The look on her face made him laugh. "I have dealt with my share of disgruntled women in my life. It'll take more than a glare and the silent treatment from you to make me cringe."

Tara swallowed the whole shot of Swamp Special. It was supposed to show she was no pushover. It felt like someone threw a Molotov cocktail into her mouth. Tara was thrown into a coughing fit as Swamp Man watched on. "Rookie mistake. Tastes good, don't it? If it doesn't, your sinuses get cleared up in a hurry. That's for damn sure."

She felt a buzz pass across her brain, making her feel a bit lightheaded. _Damn, this is some good stuff._ Tara thought to herself.

"You wanna go for round 2?"

"Considering what I've gone through, why not?" Tara said with a sense of nostalgia and grief. "Jax and I, we had some wild, crazy times together and a lot of it started from a couple of drinks. He's the only one that could get me into trouble, get me out of trouble and I still could not find myself to hate him."

"So the two of you are on good terms?" Swamp Man asked as he poured himself another shot and reluctantly gave Tara a second helping.

"I don't know what terms we're on." Tara spoke as she thought of what was. "We loved each other once. What I did before I left Charming, he will never forgive me."

It was practically common knowledge among patched members of the Sons of Anarchy MC what depths and what distances Jackson Teller was capable of going to, whether for good or ill. He had an equal capacity for love as he did for hate.

Tara drank half the contents of the shot glass. "He is going to kill me."

"Why would you think that? You're his Old Lady; the mother of his kids. Not even he could be that cruel." Swamp Man said. The laugh that came from Tara's mouth, he never saw coming.

"Then you do not know Jackson Teller at all, Swamp Man." Tara said spitefully.

In all his life, whether as a SEAL in the Navy or a patched member of the Sons of Anarchy MC, this was the first time Hank 'Swamp Man' McCoy ever heard such a statement out loud.

"I had an aunt who cooked up a kick ass barbecue every 4th of July. No matter how bad things got, a bite of whatever she put on that grill made us feel better. We don't got a grill and she's back in Louisiana but we got a dining hall and they got some grub. My treat."

Tara expected a stone cold killer just like Psycho, Happy, Tig and every other Son wearing a Reaper on their back. She never expected him to be considerate or slow to reach for his sidearm.

Or someone who showed kindness and generosity. "Alright. I could go for a bite to eat."

* * *

><p>Getting into their swimsuits was a challenge. They both were so strong that tearing out of them would not have required any effort on their part. On top of that, their breasts were so big that their string bikinis looked like micro bikinis. Angelina had to tie Angelica's top for her and vice versa. When they took a look in the mirror, they marveled at how much cleavage they showed off while managing to be covered up to a proper level.<p>

Walking out of their room with large bech towels, Angelica and Angelina spotted Swamp Man and Tara walking towards the dining hall. They kept quiet until the Nomad Son and Tara disappeared from sight. "Do you think the boys would like to go with us for a dip in the pool?" Angelina asked her big sister.

Angelica smiled. "It might be as much fun for them as it can be for us." While they were trying to be upbeat, the Cortez sisters were at odds with whether or not to tell Abel and Tommy what they knew about Jackson Teller and of their mother, Tara. A lot of what they heard in New York about Jackson Teller would not earn him the title of Father of The Year and what Sharky told them, Tara was not going to be Mother of The Year either.

Pushing that out of their minds, Angelica and Angelina brushed their hair back over their shoulders and knocked on the door to Abel and Tommy's room.

The look of surprise and amazement on Abel and Tommy's faces were priceless. "Hi, boys." Angelica said serenely. "Angelina and I are going to the pool for a swim. Would you like to join us?"

"We would enjoy your company." Angelina said politely while somehow making such a simple statement sound seductive without meaning to.

Abel and Tommy could only nod silently. "Alright. Get in your swim trunks and grab some towels for yourselves." Angelica instructed. "Don't keep us waiting." Angelina added for fun.

There was not another time in their lives when Abel and Tommy changed into their swimsuits at the drop of a hat like they did right then and there. Two minutes later, the Teller boys walked out with the Cortez girls to the pool.

Though Abel and Tommy were both getting to heights of 6 feet, the Cortez sisters were easily ten times stronger than they were at the minimum. This was not lost on them. It was also very difficult for them not to watch Angelica and Angelina's huge boobs bounce with each step they took.

Abel and Tommy watched as the pair of tall, brawny and busty New Yorkers set their towels upon lounge chairs before they dove into the pool. Rising up from the water, Angelica and Angelina had water cascading down their bodies as their hair was slicked back. Abel and Tommy wasted no time in diving in at the deep end.

When they were children, Angelica and Angelina loved swimming alongside their younger brother, Angelo and their parents. Whenever they played in the water, all the troubles of the world fell away for a moment and all was right with them.

It was fun swimming and playing with Abel and Tommy. For the time they had until the Reno rendezvous, everything was right in the world. They had to focus on the fun they were having now because it turned their stomachs to think of what was yet to come.

It turned Angelica and Angelina's stomachs to think that the cute, sweet teenage boys smiling at them shared any genetic design, temperament or traits as Jackson Teller.

No matter how platonic their relationship was, there was something about the Teller boys that touched Angelica and Angelina.

Abel and Tommy then brought up a topic that brought both girls back down to Earth. "Tell us about your brother." Abel said, curious about the third Cortez he had only heard about in passing. "Is he as big as the two of you?" Tommy asked.

Angelica and Angelina smiled, thankful for the distraction. "Angelo has dark black hair like Angelica and dark brown eyes like me. When we learned how to cook, Angelo learned from us." Angelina said as Angelica smiled at that warm memory from years ago. "As big and strong as we are, he's bigger and stronger. His upper back is 2 inches wider than Angelina's and he's 6 feet 2 inches tall." Angelica added as she and Angelina thought of him.

Both women had a look on their faces that bordered on homesick and longing.

"Is something wrong, girls?" Abel asked. Tommy was equally concerned.

Shaking themselves out of their mental funk, Angelica and Angelina turned their attentions back to Abel and Tommy. "We love the two of you and care for you. Do you believe that?" Angelica asked.

"Of course." Abel said while thinking to himself _What are they getting at?_

"Do you trust us?" Angelina asked. Abel and Tommy nodded their heads.

"A while ago, Angelica and I were asked to move in and live with you two for what's left of your school years. How do you feel about it?" Angelina asked.

"We would love to have you both live with us." Abel asked.

"Who asked you?" Tommy asked.

"Sharky from the Nomad charter. I don't know for sure but I get the feeling he won't be the only one who's going to ask that from us." Angelica said as she and Angelina maneuvered Abel and Tommy to the wall, gently restraining their arms with their strong hands while pushing their breasts against their chest while taking care to not accidentally suffocate them.

There was so much that they were fighting to keep a lid on, both from what they knew and what they felt. As hot blooded and sexually confident as they were, they did not have any ideas of sleeping with the sons of Jackson Teller. Not with what they knew about the National President and the fear lingering in their minds that what was within Jax Teller could be in his sons.

"It's getting late. Tomorrow's a big day. We ought to get some rest." Angelica said as she and Angelina led Abel and Tommy out of the pool.

* * *

><p>Snake Doctor and Psycho stared down each other as Tommy Moran read a paperback copy of <strong>A Journey To The Center Of The Earth by Jules Verne<strong>.

Psycho and Snake Doctor played a Nomad version of paper rock scissors to see who would go first. From the right hook Psycho delivered and the shiner over Snake Doctor's left eye, the Nomad Sergeant at Arms got to throw down the first domino.

"You got any bets on who's going to be carried out of Reno in a bag, Danny?" Aaron asked as Danny placed a double six on his side of the domino.

"If she is able to sneak in a gun without SAMCRO being able to find it on her, odds go to Tara. Otherwise, I have no idea who's going to leave the meeting alive." Psycho knew what it meant to lose a loving mother to an asshole father. It was not pretty and the slim chance he gave Tara was as close to optimistic as he could get.

"That is depressing. Can't say it's a lie. Can't say that's what's going to happen either." Snake Doctor said as he placed a two/four piece down.

"You think they're going to make up and all would be right again? I saw the look on Gemma's face and the depth of the chest wound. There's no going back for them." Psycho put a six/three piece next to the double six.

"We have to talk." Rane still surprised them with his stealth. The former Navy SEAL looked upset and that was enough to catch Moran, Psycho and Snake Doctor's attention, ending the dominoes game right there.

* * *

><p>Like many others in the club that knew of Jackson Teller, Swamp Man had high hopes for him.<p>

In the last days of his rule, Clay had become the bane of the club when avarice and duplicity replaced what may have been brotherhood and honor. His hands were failing him and that went a long way to making him step down from the club.

Swamp Man, like many other Sons, thought that the club would finally have the leader it needed when Jax took up the mantle.

Hearing what Tara told him, Swamp Man began to rethink what he knew of Jackson Teller.

"He shot an 8-ball of crank into his drug addict ex-wife and risked putting her into a relapse?"

Tara nodded. "How do you know that?" Swamp Man asked.

"She told me all about it. Given that she had everything to lose if she relapsed, Wendy had no reason to lie."

Swamp Man shook his head in disbelief. "He better have had a damn good reason for doing what he did. So far as I know, Tig and Juice are still alive. Rane told me the second mayhem vote on Clay was unanimous. However hardened and unhinged Jax became, there's nothing to call for a vote of non-confidence or mayhem. Is that why you ran? Did he threaten you?"

Tara shook her head. "I ran because I know he is capable of."

He was about to ask what it was until he thought about what he heard so far. "Whatever it is that you may have done, he can not touch you in Reno. You may not be a member of the club but that does not mean we are going to watch your sons become orphans or have to explain to them why their mother got thrown a beating."

"We? Who is that? You and your brother Nomads?" Tara said incredulously. "The only reason I agreed to see Jax in Reno is because if I had refused, he would have had all the US charters hunting me down. Then I would have been dragged back to him. He has no control over me and I won't let him think that he does. How do I know you all won't turn into a firing squad upon his say so?"

Swamp Man looked her in the eye without flinching or blinking an eye. "You gladly took a shot of my moonshine. I am a Son and you still accepted what I put in front of you. We are not a bunch of bloodthirsty, gun-slinging, pussy hunting, backstabbing pricks. Or is that all you think of us?"

Tara did not respond to that. The silence spoke more than she thought as Hank smirked wistfully. "You wouldn't believe it to look at him but Psycho was once a kid. He loved his Ma very much. Lost her too soon if you ask me. Even a guy like him had a mother who loved him."

Hearing such a thing about one of the scariest Sons she had ever seen was enough for Tara to ask, "What happened to her?"

"What happened to her is what made Psycho swing a Louisville slugger at that asshole father of his. The first hit landed in the back of the head. All the other hits that came after that went a long way in cementing Psycho's namesake long before he hung a Reaper on his back."

In spite of the brutality, Tara felt guilty about judging Psycho so harshly.

"Don't mention it around him. He's a tough man to get in a good mood without having to dispose of a body. You know what, we ought to get back to the room. If there was ever a reason to soak up my moonshine, this is it. You might need some to get ready for tomorrow."

"I'd have to agree with you on that." Tara said as they walked back to the room.

* * *

><p>Though they never were promiscuous in their lives, Angelica and Angelina were born with hot blood in their veins. When they became teenagers, their libidos took off like a rocket and never came back down to Earth. Yet somehow the Cortez sisters showed great levels of restraint, responsibility, maturity and self control.<p>

While still in their revealing swimsuits, Angelica tucked Abel into bed while Angelina tucked Tommy into bed. "We'll be right next door. If you need anything, knock on the door and we'll be there." Angelica said, pointing to the doors that adjoined their rooms.

"Sleep well. Tomorrow's a big day." Angelina said before she and Angelica got up and walked through the adjoining doors to their room.

Once the door closed behind them, Angelica and Angelina changed out of their swimsuits and started doing pushups and sit ups to build up their upper body strength and strengthen their cores. Apart from keeping in shape, it helped to work off the sexual tension in ways that didn't involve spreading their legs.

Having worked up a sweat, Angelica and Angelina took a shower together so they wouldn't smell rancid in the morning. It was a good thing that the shower had a curtain instead of frosted walls or they would have felt like sardines in a tin.

Once they checked the bed for bed bugs or any other infestations and seeing it was safe to sleep in, Angelica and Angelina got under the covers and slept in each other's arms. There was nothing incestuous about it. They were far away from home. The physical contact and proximity they provided each other helped them sleep better at night.

* * *

><p>Reno, Nevada<p>

The city was not as ostentatious as Las Vegas but there were enough lights to make Reno the lesser cousin of Sin City. Rane was in the lead as they drove through the streets. For a while, Tara had the tempting impulse to pull a 180 spin and haul ass in the other direction. That did not happen. It would not have helped her and there was no other place for her to run to.

Some time later, the city began to fade from view as they entered into the more rural areas and then into the Tahoe National Forest.

Since all the Nomads present were military trained, they did not see the forest for the beauty or the serenity it possessed. All they could see were the multiple places enemy combatants could be concealed and all the choice spots for sniper nests.

Rane motioned forward upon sight of a cabin located within a clearing. Scattered around it were members of the Redwood Original. Chibs and Tig were talking together while leaning against the cabin. Bobby was cooking some food on the grill of a portable barbecue with Rat Boy and West assisting him. Happy was nowhere to be seen so he was probably inside the cabin.

Upon parking, everyone dismounted their vehicles. Angelica and Angelina stretched their legs and arms as Abel and Tommy got out of the SUV.

Though it was great to see their Nomad brothers again, it was seeing Jax's boys that brought most of SAMCRO out to Reno. Abel looked like the spitting image of his father with short, bright blonde hair and green eyes. Tommy's hair was a shade darker than his older brother's but short and parted to the side. His eyes had a light shade of green.

They remembered most of the club. Bobby embraced them warmly and offered fresh burgers off the grill. Tig joked about how the girls in Chicago were probably fighting each other in droves over them. Chibs was the one who noticed Angelica and Angelina right away as well as Rat Boy, who wound up clutching his jaw with his right hand. He made the mistake of asking if they were on steroids. He never knew a slap could feel like a punch until now.

The sound of the cabin door opening caught everyone's attention, especially as Happy emerged from it. He looked at Tara, Abel, Tommy, Angelica and Angelina before motioning for them to approach.

Tara held Abel and Tommy's hands in hers almost as if she were afraid they would slip away. Angelica stood behind Abel as Angelina stood behind Tommy.

Every step towards the cabin made Tara feel like the condemned prisoner taking the long walk to the executioner's block.

The bright light of day was blacked out by the shade inside the cabin.

Standing there in front of them was the man she loved and feared.

The National President of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club.

Abel and Tommy looked at him and said, "Hi, Dad."

Abel and Tommy walked up to their father, who did not waste any time in wrapping his arms around his two boys, who had grown to be in his image.

Tara was as calm as she could be throughout this father and sons reunion until he turned their attention away from her and Happy started advancing towards her. She felt and heard her heart beats as if they were mortar blasts. Her hands began to shake uncontrollably.

When he was close enough, Tara whispered, "Please, Happy. Don't do this in front of my boys."

"I have to, Tara." Happy whispered roughly as he closed the door, shutting out the world around them.

* * *

><p>Apart from three men, no one else had any idea what was about to happen.<p>

A squad of fifty men scattered about in 5-man cells slowly converged toward the cabin. Though they were armed to the teeth, none of them were in a hurry.

Upon reaching 20 yards from the target, they instantly went on stand by.

Until they got the go ahead from their superior, all they could do was wait.

* * *

><p>An: The estranged family have reunited, the Nomads & SAMCRO are in the same vicinity and an unseen group is closing in. I have rewritten, revised and remolded this chapter so many times that it is worlds apart from the original draft. There's not much else to go from here. In the next chapter, the moment comes where Jax and Tara finally confront each other. I am not trying to prolong this at all. It's not my intention. Trust me, it will be worth the wait.


	9. Chapter 9

A/n: Not sure if it matters much in the grand scheme to anyone other than myself but apart from Jax and Tara's showdown, there are other things going on.

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><p><strong>Reno, Nevada (Tahoe National Forest)<strong>

"Jax has no idea about it, does he?" Bobby asked. Keeping things from Jax never ended well in the past. There was no reason this would be any different.

Tig reached into his inner cut pocket, took out a picture and showed it to them before taking his lighter and setting it on fire, destroying the evidence. "I told her not to stay in California. Sent her over to Nero the next day. He helped her get out of town. If Tara ever got back, she would have found out about Winsome and that won't end well for anyone."

"Do you know where Winsome went?" Chibs asked.

"No. I do not ask either. That way, if Jax asks, I can tell him the truth. Wherever it is, it's far away from Jax Teller and farther away from Tara."

Bobby looked at the Nomads, who were talking with each other while looking around as if someone was watching them or slowly closing in. "Anybody got an idea what's got the Nomads on edge?"

"Nothing good, I bet." Chibs said. The Nomads were considered the MC's toughest charter in that they had to be in order to survive. It would have to take nothing less than a major global war to make these guys break a sweat and yet they were circling the perimeter like guard dogs, talking to each other from time to time.

Tig looked at the cabin just in time to see Happy close the door. Whatever was about to happen, the Cortez girls and Jax's boys were going to be witness to it.

* * *

><p>From the moment the front door closed, she thought the end had come.<p>

Then Happy stood behind her, put his mouth against her ear and whispered, "Spread your legs. I have to pat you down."

Tara looked at him incredulously before he put a finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet before roughly spreading her legs just enough to pat her down for weapons. At first, it was just her legs, arms and side pockets. That wasn't a shock.

When he grabbed her ass, her chest, abdomen and between her legs; that was a shock.

Once it was confirmed she had no weapons on her person, Happy whispered, "Had to be sure."

"What would I be packing between my legs?" Tara whispered as low as she could.

Happy just looked at her with that familiar hard, indecipherable expression of his. She couldn't tell if he was joking or if he was daring her to answer it.

Angelica and Angelina were too focused on Abel and Tommy that they did not notice Tara getting patted down by Happy.

* * *

><p>Hank 'Swamp Man' McCoy, Aaron 'Snake Doctor' Stevens, Tom Moran and Danny 'Psycho' Givens were all highly trained and battle hardened to withstand and handle most of whatever anyone could throw at them.<p>

Inaction was one of the many things they never were trained to do in any situation.

Their talk was sparse at best. Psycho heard the sound of boots in the distance. Snake Doctor mentioned the sounds of caps being removed from telescopic sights. Swamp Man thought he could hear fingers brushing up against trigger guards.

"I don't like this." Moran spoke.

"None of us do." Psycho growled. He hated what Quinn told them all to do. It would have been so easy (and so much fun) for him to go all out on the 'party crashers'. "You think any of us want to lay down and play dead?"

Swamp Man knew that question was redundant. None of them liked having to use inaction as a course of action. It ran against everything they knew.

Tig and Chibs walked up to them. "Lads, what's going on?"

"Nothing yet, Chibs." Swamp Man said as he looked out into the forested area, the darkness between the trees appearing like an abyss. "But not for long."

* * *

><p>It was emotionally overwhelming for Jax to embrace Abel and Thomas again, let alone to see them again after so many years. For Abel and Tommy, they were excited, nervous and unsure how to talk to a father they had not seen or talked to for ten years but they gave it a try.<p>

Abel and Tommy talked about how they were doing at school and their desire to join the Marines when they came of age. Tommy mentioned offhandedly that Juice had dinner with them while he was in Chicago. For a split second, his eyes darkened before the light came back on.

After listening to them talk about how their lives were in Chicago, Jax asked about the tall, busty, brawny women standing behind Tara.

"Angelica and Angelina Cortez. They were visiting Chicago with their mother. We met outside an ice cream truck one day after school. We've been friends since then."

Tara watched Jax as he waved over the New Yorkers. From the look on his face, it was clear that Jax never saw women like the Cortez sisters before. "I heard about you from my VP."

"We heard about you too." Angelica said plainly.

"You're not thrilled about meeting me, are you?" Jax asked. He wanted to get a feel for who was getting so close to his sons.

"Considering that our legs are not spread and we're still clothed, yeah." Angelina said.

"The world did not stop and our panties did not drop so we are not like any of the sweet butts and crow-eaters you're used to." Angelica said.

Jax smiled at their attitude. They were no pushovers and were not intimidated by him.

"You're getting quite friendly with my boys. Are you doing it to get my approval?"

Angelica and Angelina looked Jax in the eye and said. "No."

Walking towards the mantle over the fireplace, Jax took a manilla envelope and approached Angelica. "Angelica, right?"

Angelica nodded. Upon that confirmation, Jax put the envelope in her hands. "Take that to your mother. She will know what to do with what's inside. It's not a trick or some kind of setup. She can even have someone else open it for her if it'll give you girls some peace of mind. Understand?"

Angelica and Angelina nodded silently.

"Boys, can the two of you go outside with the girls? Your mother and I have to catch up."

Angelica and Angelina made sure not to turn their backs on Jax for even a moment as they approached Abel and Tommy. Taking them by the hand, the Cortez sisters whispered something into Abel and Tommy's ears.

Halfway to the door, Abel and Tommy broke away from the New Yorkers and hugged Tara, who cried in the joint embrace of her sons. What really made her heart break was when she heard them whisper, "We love you, Mom."

"I love you both with all my heart." Tara whispered back, her embrace pulling them as close to her as possible before Angelica and Angelina reluctantly had to separate them. Tara kissed Abel and Tommy one last time, making sure to wipe her eyes quickly so they would not be worried about her.

To Jax's surprise, the scarred National VP walked inside the cabin, brushing past the Cortez girls and the Teller boys. Angelica and Angelina led Abel and Tommy outside.

Happy closed the door behind them and locked it from the inside.

What was about to happen required privacy, especially from Abel and Tommy.

* * *

><p>Angelica, Angelina, Abel and Tommy expected to see the other Sons out there to greet them.<p>

Instead, all they found was an empty front yard. They were all gone.

All that remained were the motorcycles belonging to SAMCRO, the Nomad Sons and the Cortez sisters along with Tara's SUV.

"Where is everybody?" Angelica asked. They looked around the back. No one was there. The barbecue was left unattended but the food was taken off the grill before it could burn.

"I don't know, sis." Angelina said. Abel and Tommy were caught unawares when they heard the door lock. They were about to run to it when Angelica and Angelina gently held them back. "Nothing's going to happen. Everything's fine." Angelica said.

"What do you mean 'everything's fine'? Do you know something we don't?" Tommy asked as Abel looked at her and Angelina inquisitively.

Angelica and Angelina sighed almost in chorus before they told them the truth.

"We knew of you for a while in passing from the Sons in the New York Crew. Since your grandfather was the sponsor of the first SAMYORK President, the name Teller is known as much there as it is out here." Angelica said. "Since you are John Teller's grandsons, the Sons back east have all wondered about you. So if they heard about you, we did too."

"They all had respect for John Teller but even they though he was weak when he ran from his wife and had an affair across the Atlantic while their second son, who would have been your uncle, died in your grandmother's arms." Angelica said, recalling the things President Spider would relay to them as a cautionary tale in regards to building and keeping a family together.

Abel was more than troubled at the sound of that. "Our dad had a brother?"

"From what we heard, yeah." Angelina said as she wrapped a muscular arm of hers around Tommy. "They say you were named after him."

"What was wrong with our grandfather?" Tommy asked.

"I could not say. No one in New York knew really what was going on in his head. President Spider mourned for a month when the news got to him about John Teller's death. Whatever it was that did it, President Spider was not fond of SAMCRO after that." Angelina said as they looked at the cabin.

"What are they talking about in there?" Abel asked.

"Family history and personal history." Angelica guessed as she and Angelina hugged Abel and Tommy close to them, silently praying to God that the terrible parts of John and Jax Teller did not get passed down to the boys in their arms.

None of them heard the footsteps coming up from behind them until they were three feet away from them.

"Abel, Tommy. Don't panic." Angelina said as she and Angelica looked in their peripheral vision to see several armed men, their faces hidden under the tinted visors of Kevlar helmets.

They motioned to the ground, indicating for them to kneel. Releasing Abel and Tommy for a moment, the Cortez sisters got on their knees. Abel and Tommy were then ordered to do the same.

From their prone position, the four of them watched as several more armed men emerged from the trees and began to close in on the cabin.

They formed a two line formation leading to the door with one lead squad leader in the front with his hand near the side of his head as if awaiting for an order.

With several fast waves of his hands, four flash bang grenades were thrown into the cabin.

Four blasts and a swift kick to the door later, all hell broke loose.

* * *

><p>An: Considering what is going to happen next, I have to really put some serious focus on how everything is going to come together. I do not want to disappoint with the epic confrontation/confession moment between Jax and Tara. One other thing, big thanks and credit to TellatrixForever for helping me write this story and for allowing me to use his OCs in chorus with my own OCs. I'm also itching to get to the epic Jax/Tara scene too. It's coming up soon.


	10. Chapter 10

**San Joaquin County Correctional Facility / Northern California / 2024**

Lieutenant Althea Jarry looked through the observational mirror at the person sitting on the wrong end of the table. This was the first time they would ever speak together in such a way.

Surprisingly enough, Althea was a bit nervous. Once she had a grip on her emotions, Althea walked into the interrogation room with a manilla folder.

The events that took place in Reno were still fresh and so too were the emotional wounds. It did not take a psychology degree for Althea to figure that out.

"I will not try to ask how you are. It's plain to see things didn't go your way. " Althea started as she pulled out a chair and sat down.

"I was not there when it happened. So why don't you fill me in? What happened out there?"

* * *

><p><strong>Tahoe National Forest  Reno, Nevada / 2024**

Jackson Teller aged as well as Tara did though both seemed to carry scars that were still healing.

His hair had grown a bit longer than before while his mustache and goatee reached just an inch above his clavicle. The sides of his face were clean shaven. Those eyes were lively and yet cold.

Tara aged moderately well though her eyes betrayed every emotion she had tried to conceal as opposed to Jax's.

Happy stood at his right hand as his personal bodyguard and assassin.

Chibs, to Tara's surprise, stood at her right hand as if he was her lifeline.

In reality, Happy and Chibs were making sure they did not kill each other.

A few steps forward and they were face to face for the first time in 10 years.

In spite of everything that happened between them, Jax could not bring himself to hate Tara. Seeing her again reignited the torch he carried for her.

"I can not imagine how difficult it has been for you to raise two kids all by yourself; the hardships and trials you had to put up with. No amount of thanks can cover what you've done for our sons."

"You're right on all those things. You have no idea what I've endured and there is no way you can repay me." Tara said. The way he spoke to her seemed patronizing.

Being so close to her again, Jax noticed for the first time a scar across the side of her temple that almost went to her left eye. "What happened?"

"I almost lost an eye." Tara said as she looked over to the National VP, who confirmed it. "Gemma did that to her. She attacked Tara, Jackie. Not the other way around. By the time I got there, the damage was done. Gemma...there was no saving her."

Jax felt a pair of hands land firmly on his shoulders. Happy roughly whispered, "Your boys are outside the door. Anything goes down here, you're going to have to do a lot of explaining to Abel and Tommy."

Using all his willpower to muscle through the grief and anger, Jax asked, "How did it happen?"

Tara took a deep breath, said a silent prayer in her mind and told Jax the events that took place in Charming back in 2014.

* * *

><p><strong>Jax &amp; Tara's house  Charming, California / circa 2014**

Tara was beyond grateful to Jax for making the deal with DA Patterson. All he asked in return was that Abel and Tommy would grow up away from the violence, mayhem and destruction that seemed to be commonplace with SAMCRO. That was exactly what she intended to do.

When the deal was sealed, Jax was escorted away by the authorities while Eli Roosevelt escorted her home.

The sun had already set by the time she arrived at the house she shared with Jax. For the first time in a long time, Tara felt a sense of hope. For once, she actually believed there was something to look forward to; something to move towards. Abel and Tommy would grow up without having to wash blood of their hands or run for their lives from the law or enemies of the MC. They would never have criminal records or mugshots taken of them.

A noise from the kitchen caught her attention, breaking whatever mental reflection she was having. "Wayne, is that you?" Tara asked, thinking the former Charming Police Chief had come by to see her.

Instead of seeing the friendly and terminally ill old man, Tara was staring down at an unhinged, distraught and furious Gemma Teller. It only took a few seconds for Gemma to launch herself at Tara. She threw hay-makers between slaps or slaps between hay-makers. All Tara could do at first was put her hands up to block the oncoming assault until Gemma grabbed her by the side and slung her straight at the refrigerator, leaving a deep wound on her left temple, dangerously close to her eye. The blood pouring down the side of her face did not slow Gemma down; it dialed up her ferocity higher than it was when she started.

With Tara hunched over the floor, Gemma threw kick after kick into her abdomen. On the fifth kick in, Tara caught Gemma's leg and used her momentum to make the older woman fall backwards. Pulling herself up with the aid of the counter, Tara blindly felt around for something to defend herself with. Grabbing what felt like a kitchen tool, she spun around and lashed out with all her strength...

Tara had no idea how close Gemma was or that the implement in her hand was a carving fork until it was sunk into the other woman's chest, piercing right through the surgical scar between her breasts.

Juice pulled up to Jax and Tara's house looking for Gemma. Eli was standing by his squad car parked in the driveway. "Lieutenant Roosevelt. Everything alright?"

Eli did not get a chance to answer when a loud commotion came from inside the house. Eli quickly drew his gun from the holster and advanced inside.

Entering the kitchen, Eli was shocked to see Gemma bleeding profusely from the chest. Tara was covered in blood as she frantically attempted to plug up the mortal wound, pleading for Gemma not to die but it was all in vain. Blood covered the floor along with her hands, clothes and face. "Tara, what did you..."

Eli did not see it coming but he certainly felt the butt of a Glock pistol slam into his back and then into his head repeatedly before everything went dark.

Eli was not moving but Juice stepped over him to pull a distressed and wounded Tara off Gemma's corpse. The moment he picked her up off the ground, her face was buried in his shoulder. Her hot tears mixed with fresh blood, leaving a salty and metallic taste on her tongue.

* * *

><p><strong>Tahoe National Forest  Reno, Nevada / 2024**

Jackson Teller looked at Tara with an unreadable look on his face. He did not appear moved at all by her plight at all. "For ten years, I dreamed of the day I would walk out of prison as a free man. My mom, you, our boys all together in a house full of life. That was one of the few things I held onto to keep me from giving up. When it finally happened, I came out of prison an orphan with no family to welcome me back. For ten years, I did not get to see my boys grow up."

"They are my boys too and don't you forget that." Tara snapped. "I sacrificed everything I worked for and gave everything I had. I loved you, Jax. In some messed up way, I still do. Whether you loved me then or if you still do now, you were never mine. You made that abundantly clear every time you fucked any of your sweet butts, crow eaters and porn stars." Tara spat at Jax. "What we had may have been real but it was not enough to break the circle of violence, infidelity and chaos. I did not try to fool myself into thinking you could ever forgive me. If I was the one who died on the kitchen floor, would you have been forgiving or understanding with Gemma?"

Jax did not get a chance to answer that and since Happy was restraining him, he could not lash out. Then everything went sideways.

The sound of glass breaking caught their attention before four deafening bangs heralded the arrival of 20 heavily armed and armored officers. "Weapons down! On the floor! Hands behind your head now!" They commanded.

In the midst of her disorientation, Tara felt her arms being redirected to the small of her back before her wrists were bound by handcuffs. "Tara Knowles, you are under arrest for the murder of Gemma Teller." The flash bang grenades made the voice of the arresting officer sound like an ominous echo in her ringing ears.

The light of day was blinding yet she was able to see and hear Abel and Tommy trying in vain to run to her while being restrained by Angelica and Angelina who were trying to keep her sons from ending up in a juvenile detention center. They dragged her through the forest to a prisoner transport vehicle.

Opening the doors, the officers released the SAMCRO Sons and the Nomad Sons before putting Tara inside. The last thing she saw was a pained look in Rane Quinn's eyes and then the doors closed shut on her.

* * *

><p><strong>San Joaquin County Correctional Facility  Northern California / 2024**

"That is heartbreaking." Althea said as she looked eye to eye with Tara Knowles with a straight face. "In the end, the rain falls on the just and unjust alike."

"I can think of something other than rain falling on me, Lieutenant Jarry." Tara Knowles said angrily, sitting across from the sheriff. It angered Tara that she was wearing a prison inmate's outfit again.

Althea handed Tara a manila envelope. "Inside is a copy of custody papers. The original copies were given to Angelica Cortez and they were signed by her parents and Jackson Teller. Your signature is needed to make it official."

"To make what official?" Tara asked, already dreading what the answer would be.

"Your sons will be under the care and custody of the Cortez family. From what I was able to learn from certain parties, your sons are still enrolled at school in Chicago. Their school years are about to end soon and they might move up to New York. However, that depends entirely on what you do now. If you sign off on this, your boys will live far away from Charming. If you don't sign off on this, Abel and Thomas Teller will be returned to their father, Jackson Teller, which means they will live in Charming."

From the look in Tara's face, Althea did not mince words or pull punches. "You have two choices in front of you. One of them may be tough and difficult for you to accept but it will eventually lead to you walking out of here and one day being able to hug your boys as a free woman. The other one is the one you're about to stumble down if the look on your face suggests anything."

Tara opened the envelope and looked at the paperwork. Althea waited patiently for Tara to finish reading the details. "I'm not going to see my boys again for a long time."

"For whatever it's worth, they'll be far away from Charming and SAMCRO. That is what you wanted, isn't it?"

Tara looked at Althea for a moment before taking the pen offered and signed her name on the required areas.

Althea took the envelope and stood up from her chair. "As a condition to your signing the documents here, you won't have to worry about being placed in general population. You'll serve your time in solitary and I heard the infirmary could use some get to play doctor again and I am told the doctors are given better food than what's shoveled out in the commissary for the other inmates. Take care of yourself and don't give up hope." Althea said before leaving Tara alone in the interrogation room until the guards came and took her away.

Within the year, a trial was held. Her entire confession was recorded via listening devices planted in the cabin thus the authorities had heard everything. Because she acted in emotional distress and from a basic need of self preservation, the judge convicted Tara Knowles for the crime of Manslaughter and sentenced her to 6 years in solitary confinement at San Joaquin County Correctional Facility.

* * *

><p><strong>Tahoe National Forest  Reno, Nevada / 2024**

Walking up to them, Potter introduced himself as Daniel Randleman, a case worker for social services working in conjunction with the local authorities. For the most part, he kept his attention on the two adolescent boys though he could not ignore the tall, muscular and very, very endowed women who seemed to be tethered to the Teller boys. "I regret that we had to meet under these circumstances. How did you all come to Reno?"

"We traveled here with our mom. Where is she?" Abel asked.

"They took her into custody and no one has told me where. However, what I do know is that the arresting officers came from Northern California. That may be where they took her."

Angelica looked at the man for a moment as if she was trying to remember where she saw him last. "Do you have a relation who works in a hotel?"

Potter looked at her inquisitively before shaking his head. "No family members of mine work in a hotel and I've been a social worker for as long as I can remember."

Changing the topic swiftly, he said, "Taking into consideration what you have had to suffer, I have been empowered and authorized by my superiors to provide the four of you with the means of returning to Chicago safely and directly."

Taking a cell phone from his pocket, he dialed a number. "We'll be at the east exit of the woods in a few moments." Hanging up the phone, Lincoln Potter/ Daniel Randleman said, "An officer will have the car impounded but will have all the personnel items transported to us."

Half an hour later, the Teller brothers and Cortez sisters were staring at an 18 wheeler with a customized transport trailer capable of storing their motorcycles in one compartment while housing passengers for long distance in the larger compartment. "Give the driver, Mr. Seville, the address to where the boys live and he'll see that you get there expeditiously. Mr. Seville will also instruct you how to load your motorcycles into the compartment. Safe travels."

He walked away before they could ask anything of him.

With the motorcycles in place and their luggage taken into the passenger compartment of the custom transport trailer, the Teller brothers and the Cortez sisters settled in for the long ride.

Angelina and Angelica rocked Tommy and Abel in their arms as they cried into their chests until they fell asleep.

It was going to be a long, bitter trip back to Chicago.

* * *

><p>An: Attention all Jax/Tara fans out there: Do not break out the torches and pitch forks. Not yet anyway. Regardless of what this chapter may entail or how this story as a whole is progressing, I am not anti JARA. At the same time, there was no way Tara was going to get away with what she did. If this story is different than most other stories that feature Jax & Tara together or apart, it's because it is. I make no apologies about it. Stay tuned. There's still more to go before the end credits roll.


End file.
